Game on at Olympic Stadium despite ticket troubles, accident

Fans heading to Saturday afternoon'sexhibition baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets at the Olympic Stadium are being told to get there at least 90 minutes in advance to ensure they get their tickets beforegame time.

Close to 50,000 tickets have been sold for todays game, which includes a pre-game celebration of the 1994 Montreal Expos featuring 20 members of the best team in Major League Baseball that year.

Fridayspre-seasongame against the the Blue Jays and theMetswas the first major league baseball game at the Olympic Stadium since the Expos finalgame in 2004.

Fans attending Fridays game faced long waits to collect their tickets.

Tickets purchased online had to be picked up in person and by game time hundreds of fans were still waiting while employees manually searched for the tickets.

Accident mars game

Fridays game was also marred by an accident that saw a man in his 40s fall from a lower balcony in the outfield bleachers to the concrete 10 to 15 metres below.

The man is listed in critical condition with multiple fractures and head injuries.

Eyewitnesses said the man was trying to get his section doing the wave and climbed over a guardrail in the process.

CBC News reporter Thomas Daigle witnessed the mans fall.

He was on the other side of the guardrail, I dont know what he was doing there. I blinked and the man fell flat all the way down to the floor. He didnt move at all, stayed motionless, he said.

Daigle said a player from one of the teams rushed over and summoned emergency crews, who provided first aid.

The injured man was removed from the scene by ambulance and taken to hospital.

94 Expos reunion

With a record of 74 wins and 40 losses, the Montreal Expos were widely expected to make the World Series in 1994 but the season was cut short by a strike.

Saturdays pre-game celebration will reunite 20 members of that team, including Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, Cliff Floyd, Moises Alou and manager Felipe Alou.

The '94 Expos will also take part in a fundraising gala Saturday night organized by the Montreal Baseball Project, a group dedicated to bringing Major League baseball back to the city.