Bills safety Micah Hyde, whose charity softball game has become an annual event in Sahlen Field, is again teaming with the Buffalo Bisons as the beneficiary of the team’s popular Mystery Ball promotion. It will be held Aug. 29 prior to the Herd’s 7:05 p.m. game against Indianapolis.
At the event, fans can purchase one of 500 autographed baseballs, gift-wrapped to conceal the signee’s identity, with all proceeds to benefit Hyde’s Imagine for Youth Foundation. The balls will be sold for $40 at the Oak Street gate only, and gates open at 6 p.m. Hyde also will throw the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game.
At Sahlen Field on Sunday, Josh Allen launched four home runs over the screen beyond left field, clearing a distance of at least 400 feet.
A full list of signees is at Bisons.com, and it includes Hyde’s Bills teammates Josh Allen, Jordan Poyer, Matt Milano, Dawson Knox and Dion Dawkins and Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas, Sabres players such as Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin, and Toronto Blue Jays like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
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Other names on the list include Baseball Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins and Tim Raines, former Bisons manager Terry Collins, ex-American League MVP Josh Donaldson, Angola native and former Duke/NBA star Christian Laettner, talk show host Jay Leno and actors John O’Hurley, Steve Hytner and Larry Thomas from “Seinfeld”.
The Bisons lost the opener of a six-game series 5-4 on the road against the Syracuse Mets at NBT Bank Stadium on Tuesday night.
After falling behind, the Mets rallied for runs in the eighth and ninth innings to earn the victory. Gabe Klobosits (1-2), the fifth relief pitcher for the Bisons, took the loss. After a two-out walk in the ninth, he gave up a game-winning, RBI double to Wyatt Young.
Bisons right-hander Wes Parsons allowed only one hit over five innings while striking out four.
The Bisons were held scoreless through five innings before scoring once in the sixth, then erupting for three runs in the seventh to take a 4-3 lead. An RBI double by Cam Eden closed the gap to 3-2. He scored on single by Rafael Lantigua, who advanced to third on a fielding error then came home on Spencer Horwitz’s sacrifice fly to give the Bisons the lead.
Syracuse came back in the bottom of the eighth to tie it at 4-4 when reliever Paul Fry walked Carlos Cortes with the bases loaded.
Lantigua went 3-for-4 to lead the Bisons, while Ernie Clement and Horwitz each collected two hits.
The series resumes with a 1:05 p.m. game Wednesday in Syracuse. Buffalo’s Mitch White (0-2, 9.95 ERA) is scheduled to face Justin Jarvis (0-3, 8.46).
