Blue Jays tickets, like those for Yankees' post-season games, banned for out-of-country buyers

Blue Jays fans were understandably upset to learn that tickets to their team’s potential post-season games against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium were unavailable for purchase by Canadian residents.

Well, it turns out that the Jays have the same rules preventing U.S. residents from buying tickets to games at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. What’s more, they’ve been doing it for the entire regular season, and not just the playoffs.

When the Jays clinched the American League East pennant last Sunday with a win over the Tampa Bay Rays, it vaulted them into the American League Division Series (ALDS), a five-game match that starts Saturday at 1:08 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre.

After a second Toronto game on Sunday, the series moves to either New York or Boston — currently in the midst of a best-of-three wild card playoff — and then back to Toronto if needed for game five.

If the games are against Boston, Canadians will be eligible to buy tickets to watch at Fenway Park, with a representative for that team telling National Post: “The Red Sox and Boston will not be turning away fans from other states or out of the country to purchase tickets.”

It’s a different story in the Bronx, however.

Messages on the Yankees’ website told would-be purchasers: “Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”

Notably left off that list are residents of Vermont and Massachusetts, which also border New York State — and Canada, where the vast majority of Blue Jays fans reside.

But in a case of tat-for-tit, the Blue Jays have already been doing the same thing all year. “We’ve restricted purchases to Canadian billing addresses to keep tickets in the hands of Blue Jays fans across the country,” the team says. “This began during the regular season and will continue through the postseason.”

Of course, none of these restrictions prevent fans in any country from buying tickets from resellers, though often at hugely inflated prices.

Tickets for seats in the upper level of Rogers Centre started at $86.25 for the first ALDS game, but as of Wednesday were reselling for three times that price and more at stubhub.com.

The New York ban also only matters if the Yankees make it to the following round. On Tuesday night, they lost the first of the best-of-three to Boston.

National Post has also reached out to the Seattle Mariners, the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians, one of whom the Jays might face if they make it to the next round of playoffs, to ask about their ticket sale policies.

A spokesperson for the Tigers said tickets for those games are not yet for sale, but: “ Ontario is usually included in the group that can buy tickets.” A spokesperson for the Mariners echoed that. The Guardians did not reply.

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