The Blue Jays rolled out the new turf Monday night-- AstroTurf - that will be in play at the Rogers Centre for the next three seasons. It looks different and it plays different than the rock, hard past surfaces that have plagued players' backs and knees and turned singles into triples.
The lime green surface, now there's a different look, has longer synthetic blades that have a noticeable effect on batted balls. It plays softer and slower, much slower. The new turf is supposed to cover the ground (concrete) for the 2015-17 seasons before a natural grass surface, with dirt infield, is introduced for the 2018 season. For now, the Toronto Argonauts share the field inside the Rogers Centre but they are in negotiations to find a new home by the 2017 season, with BMO Field foremost in their plans.
As the Blue Jays opened the 2015 season Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays before 48,414 fans, the new surface immediately came into play. In the bottom of the third inning, Devon Travis grounded a ball to Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. It was a routine out at first but after the play Cabrera had to have help from the trainer to remove a piece of rubber pellet from his eye that flew up from the infield.
Ground-up rubber pellets, made from recycled tires, are sprinkled among the synthetic grass blades to cushion the bounces. You'll see sprays of little black objects springing up from the turf on most balls that strike the surface. Cabrera was OK and continued on.
In the home half of the fifth inning, Kevin Pillar sliced a ball to right field. At the time the Jays didn't have a hit off Jake Odorizzi, so Rays outfielder Steven Souza Jr. went into a full dive forward attempting to catch the ball. He missed completely, but instead of rocketing off the artificial surface and rolling to the wall for a triple, perhaps an inside-the-park homer, it bounced gently beyond Souza, travelling only 10-15 feet or so, where it was recovered by centre-fielder Kevin Kiermaier. Pillar stopped at second with a double.
Then in the bottom of the eighth, again it was the visiting Rays being tested. Travis nubbed a ball in front of the plate. Rays catcher Rene Rivera came rocketing out from behind home and nearly over-ran the ball which only trickled a few feet into fair territory. He recovered to make the play to retire Travis at first.
The Bue Jays lost the home opener, 2-1, as R.A. Dickey who limited the Jays to three hits in six innings, walked in a pair of runs in the fourth inning. The turf was not a factor.
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