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Blue Jays only serving beer in cups after beer can throwing incident

Oct 9, 2016 | 10:45 AM

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays will not be serving beer in cans at the Rogers Centre for the rest of the post-season after a can was thrown on the field at a game against the Baltimore Orioles last week.

In a statement Sunday morning, the team says beer will be poured into cups throughout the stadium.

The change comes after a beer can narrowly missed Baltimore Orioles player Hyun Soo Kim as he made a catch during the seventh inning of Tuesday’s wild-card game in Toronto.

Ken Pagan, 41, of Hamilton, was charged with criminal mischief after a photo of the suspected beer tosser was released by Toronto police. Pagan has confirmed he is the man in the photo but says he was drinking out of a plastic cup rather than a can.

The policy change came into effect before Game 3 of Toronto’s American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers on Sunday evening. Toronto came into the game leading the best-of-five series 2-0, ensuring at least two home dates with the new regulations.

The Blue Jays had trouble with fans throwing debris on the field the last time the Rangers played a post-season game in Toronto. Fans littered the field with objects including beer cans in protest during Game 5 of their 2015 ALDS with Texas when an error by Toronto catcher Russell Martin allowed the Rangers’ Rougned Odor to score from third base.

The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Pagan denied throwing the can. Instead he said he was drinking from a plastic cup rather than a can.


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