These Toronto Blue Jays fans had the hottest ticket in town for the big series against the Kansas City Royals.

Or so they thought.

But longtime Jays season ticket holders Peter and Sue Sisam found out membership does not always have its privileges unless, of course, you are the commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Those who watch a lot of Jays games on television may recognize the Sisams. They are a couple who have sat in row one of Section 124 — next to the Blue Jays dugout — for decades.

“I was the team’s 51st season ticket holder in 1977,” said Peter Sisam, who wears the blue-and-white colours as proudly as anybody.

The couple rarely miss a game and are often in their $225 seats for batting practice.

But not Monday or Tuesday — and probably not Wednesday for Game 5.

“They took our seats from us,” said Sue before Game 4. “Someone just said Major League Baseball needs them.”

They lost both their usual two seats in the first row and a second pair they own in the third row.

“We have no idea why,” said Sue.

The couple were given seats about 12 rows up.

“They are still good seats but ...,” teased Peter.

No matter what, they are not next to the field and the couple pay handsomely to be in that spot.

It’s a particularly tough pill to swallow when for nine innings your beloved seats had no one sitting in them. In Game 3, they sat empty.

“Why would they move us? I wrote a letter to the commissioner of baseball and sent the letter by special delivery so he would have to sign for it,” said Peter Sisam, a long-time executive with IMG and once ranked 19th on the Globe and Mail’s 50 most powerful people in Canadian sports.

In this situation, he seemed powerless. He has yet to hear back from the commissioner.

“Since they were not being used, we didn’t understand why we couldn’t just sit in them?” said Sue.

The mystery, however, began to reveal itself once Game 4 got going Tuesday in a disastrous outing for the Blue Jays.

Turns out sitting in the Sisams’ usual seats was Major League Baseball’s brass from New York, including Commissioner Rob Manfred. Sitting directly behind him was Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who is the honourary president of the American League.

“It’s the commissioner’s box,” explained legendary MLB spokesman Phyllis Merhige who has worked more than 30 American League Championship Series in her 35 years with Major League Baseball. “It’s the kind of thing that is put in every city during the playoffs.”

The problem was “Frank (Robinson) got into town late and didn’t get to the (first) game,” she said, adding the commissioner was also not on hand.

But they were there on Tuesday. I teased Jays President Paul Beeston that since Cliff Pennington is being used as a pitcher, perhaps he might want to see if 80-year-old Robinson is available to play for the Jays Thursday.

Meanwhile, lovers of baseball and hugely loyal to the Blue Jays, the Sisams are of the ilk that they would never mind giving up their seat for such important people in the game. It’s just that they didn’t know and no one told them.

The Sisams are generous and charitable people. Peter has served as a director of the incredible Blue Jays Care charity.

Beeston got involved and talked with MLB about coming up with a way of thanking the Sisams while making sure the big league baseball brass is comfortable.

The (Sisams) are great fans,” said Beeston, chomping on his famous Montecristo cigar.

They are fans who have the best seats in the house — unless the commissioner of baseball is in town.