Jacques Aubé admits from the outset: he may have set the bar a little too high with the belief that he could sell 95,000 tickets for the two preparatory games that the Toronto Blue Jays will hold with the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday and Tuesday.

 “My expertise is less in baseball, that's the way I have to take it!” Aube, the CEO of promoter Evenko said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press.

“It is not because we put less ardor in selling [the tickets], in advertising, and so on. It's not the fault of the Jays either, even if they had a more difficult season.”

 Aubé did not want to give preliminary numbers, but he estimates that the two games in the evening will attract at least 50,000 spectators.

“I think we will do 25,000 [tickets] a day -- I hope 30,000 a day,” he said.

“What I also learned is that it's pretty normal for a Monday and a Tuesday, those kind of numbers. I will surely have fewer people coming from outside the city [than on weekends.] The history of Expos also shows us that even when they were very popular, Mondays and Tuesdays were less popular, Aube explained. “If you're between 25,000 and 30,000, I think it's going to be very good. “

The first four editions of these playoff games drew 394,199 spectators at Olympic Stadium, including nearly 106,000 for the two-game series between the Jays and the Boston Red Sox in 2016.

Each game sent a strong message to the major baseball authorities in favor of baseball’s return of to Montreal.

Aubé estimates that this year's figures support that same message.

"I think it sends such a strong message for games earlier this week," he said. “That does not mean that next year, I will not try to return to the weekend formula. I would like that.”

Some observers and baseball fans have spoken of a lack of interest in the preparatory game format. Aubé ensures that this is not the case.

 "It's rather the schedule that we do not have the same numbers. [Denis] Coderre made a difference: he was a big fan. Mayor Plante is not against baseball, but she is less enthusiastic than Coderre. I did not feel a disinterestedness!

A change in the Major League calendar forced the series to move from Friday and Saturday games to the beginning of the week.

The regular schedule will be launched Thursday instead of Sunday following these meetings this season.

As for regular season games, Aube leaves that to the group led by Stephen Bronfman.

 “We have not had any further discussions with the MLB. It is mainly the investor group driving this issue. The decision will be taken at the league level, and they are aware of the interest. “

 "It's our project, but we work closely with them," he added. They are the ones who want the return of baseball. I keep them informed, it's clear. It's a team work. It's independent, but connected, if you know what I mean. “

The agreement with the Blue Jays for the staging of these games is valid until 2019. Aubé is convinced that he will be able to agree with the Toronto organization to prolong it.

“Year after year, we are reviewing this agreement. These are great successes. The Jays want to develop the market, so I do not feel any drop of enthusiasm on their side. With [former President Paul] Beeston, it was special, but the relationship is still good with the new administration,” Aube said.

“I am not at all worried about the future (of these games). There is a market for baseball and we always give a good show. “