Ryu Hyun-jin Unable to Pitch at Home... Toronto Home Games Denied Due to COVID-19

Ryu Hyun-jin is participating in training wearing a mask at Rogers Centre, the home stadium of Toronto in Canada. (Photo by AP)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Ryu Hyun-jin (33, Toronto Blue Jays) will not be able to pitch at his home stadium during this year's Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which prevents holding home games.

On the 19th (Korean time), the Canadian government announced that it has decided to prohibit the Toronto Blue Jays, Ryu Hyun-jin's team, from hosting home games due to the spread of COVID-19. Toronto is the only team in the Major Leagues based in Canada.

Marco Mendicino, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, stated, "To play regular season games, Blue Jays players and staff would have to repeatedly cross the border, and opposing teams would also have to cross the Canadian border. In particular, the Blue Jays would have to play games in areas with a high risk of virus transmission."

He added, "Based on the advice of public health experts, we have concluded that the cross-border travel required for the MLB regular season cannot adequately protect Canadians."

Therefore, unless a two-week quarantine exemption is granted for both the Toronto team and visiting teams, normal season operations will be impossible. Currently, Canada and the United States have closed their borders and banned all non-essential travel to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Minister Mendicino left open the possibility of allowing games at Toronto's home stadium, Rogers Centre, if Toronto advances to the playoffs and the COVID-19 situation in the U.S. improves in the fall.

The Toronto team stated that they respect the Canadian government's decision and will soon finalize an alternative stadium for home games. Toronto is scheduled to play a home game against the Washington Nationals on the 30th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.