The Buffalo Bisons walked out of their temporary home for good Sunday. And they left Trenton Thunder Ballpark like they have on so many days this seasonĀ ā celebrating another win.
Kevin Smith and Tyler White slugged back-to-back homers in the bottom of the eighth inning as Buffalo overcame the hapless Syracuse Mets 3-2 to complete a six-game sweep in their final game in Trenton. Displaced from Buffalo by the parent Toronto Blue Jays' stint at Sahlen Field, the Bisons finished their last homestand in the New Jersey capital with an 11-1 record. Their 29-13 record at home this year is the best in Triple-A baseball.
Their next 12 games will be on the road, and then comes Opening Night II on Aug. 10 at 7:05 at Sahlen Field against Rochester. Tickets for the club's 23-game schedule in Buffalo go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. at Bisons.com and the ballpark box office.
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"I'm really excited. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody and getting back out on the field. I've been waiting for this," manager Casey Candaele, a popular Bisons player in the 1990s, said on a video call. "I was excited when I found out I was going to manage in Buffalo and then everything transpired. It was a little adjustment being somewhere else. I was always excited to get back to Buffalo and it will be like another Opening Day, the one I had foreseen when I signed up to manage there."
YOU GOTTA SEE IT š¤ÆKevin Smith & Tyler White provide the unreal ending to the #Bisons time in Trenton. Back-to-back homers in the 8th inning to give the THUNDERING HERD a 3-2 win. pic.twitter.com/MtPMQG2tDY
— Buffalo Bisonsš¦¬ (@BuffaloBisons) July 25, 2021
The Blue Jays, granted permission by the Canadian government to return to their home ballpark for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, will play their final game in Buffalo against the Red Sox on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m.
A crowd of 3,007 was on hand for the finale, and the Bisons wore Trenton Thunder uniforms for the final time as part of the agreement to move games to New Jersey while the Blue Jays were playing in Buffalo. Buster Bison was brought in to entertain fans, with general manager Anthony Sprague and radio announcer Pat Malacaro among the staffers on hand to start to navigate the logistics of the move to Buffalo. Malacaro also made a guest appearance on the game broadcast.
The Bisons changed their Twitter avatar for the day, putting a "Thank you" message over the Trenton Thunder avatar. The Thunder did likewise, responding with a "Thank You" over a Bisons logo.
"The Bisons organization is extremely grateful for the support and dedication of Thunder General Manager/COO Jeff Hurley and the entire Trenton Thunder organization," the club said in its tweeted statement. "Forged during uncertain times, this partnership has been an overwhelming success both on and off the field because of the passion, professionalism and cooperation of the Trenton Thunder team.
"On behalf of our organization and Bisons fans throughout Western New York and Southern Ontario, Thank You Trenton Thunder for being a part of our Herd!"
š¤ā¤ļø https://t.co/cV9Qk9tthj
— Trenton Thunder (@TrentonThunder) July 25, 2021
What the Jays accomplished at Sahlen Field ā unimaginable until the pandemic changed dynamics that long seemed fixed in place ā gave Buffalo, already rich in baseball lore, an even more unique place in that heritage.
The Bisons improved to 44-25 with their seventh straight victory. They also pulled within 1 1/2 games of Scranton in the Northeast Divison. Buffalo has the third-best record in the 20-team Triple-A East league. Smith and White struck with two outs against Mets reliever Roel Ramirez, both crushing pitches to left.
It was Smith's 18th homer of the season, tied for second in the league, and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. White, who had 26 homers for the Houston Astros from 2016-2019, has eight for Buffalo and has gone deep six times in the last nine games.
"We know whether it's the first hitter or last hitter, it doesn't matter," White said. "We have such a good team that every day we're just waiting for somebody to get us going. 'Smitty' hit the big homer and I followed and that's kind of how this team works."
The Bisons are off Monday and the 12-game trip opens Tuesday in Worcester. The team then heads to Allentown, Pa., for six games against Lehigh Valley from Aug. 3-8 before the club gets to head home for the first time this season.
"I think we're all excited to get up to Buffalo. It's been a big-league park for a while now," White said. "Not many of us have played there. Guys that have said it was nice before and now the big-league team has played there. So we're all really looking forward to being there."
