If you remember Bob Patterson's time in Buffalo, it's mostly because he's the crafty lefty who threw the first pitch in then-Pilot Field – and then threatened to toss a no-hitter in the downtown ballpark's memorable 1988 opener.
But Patterson was enshrined in the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday in Sahlen Field for much more than being the answer to a trivia question. He was a 12-game winner for the Buffalo Bisons in 1989 on one of the best staffs in franchise history and then fashioned a career as a big-league reliever, making more than 500 appearances from 1990-1998.
"I'm sure just being nominated is pretty spectacular because there's so many good athletes that have gone through Buffalo," said Patterson, 63. "When you're in the minor leagues, you're concentrating on perfecting your craft. Buffalo was a perfect place for me to do that, and people sure supported us. I compared the fans in Buffalo equally to the fans in Pittsburgh. They just loved baseball."
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Patterson was honored along with former Buffalo outfielder Ben Francisco and ex-shortstop Jhonny Peralta during a ceremony in the Pub At the Park restaurant before the Bisons' game against Worcester. Patterson and Francisco were on hand to accept their honors and threw ceremonial first pitches.
Francisco, ex-Buffalo shortstop Jhonny Peralta, the 2004 International League MVP, and left-handed pitcher Bob Patterson will be honored both prior and during the game Saturday at Sahlen Field against Worcester.
Patterson was the starter for the Bisons against Denver on April 14, 1988, and threw the first pitch in ballpark history for a strike past Zephyrs leadoff man Billy Bates. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh and tossed 8 1/3 shutout innings of a 1-0 victory fashioned on a third-inning home run by catcher Tom Prince, a 2004 Hall inductee.
"It's probably one of the best games I've ever pitched," Patterson recalled. "I'm sure that the chilly weather had something to do with my success, but I was surprised it went that well that early in the season. In today's time, managers wouldn't let a guy go that long. Baseball has changed so much, but it's great they allowed me to stay out there that day."
A fun session in Pub at the Park for Bob Patterson and Ben Francisco as they are enshrined into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame. #Bisons pic.twitter.com/gxh7lIEkNZ
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) July 30, 2022
Patterson got plenty of attention as the game marched on, but the star that day was the shiny new ballpark, which was filled to capacity many times during his two years here.
"You're like, 'Really? This is a minor league park? There's no way,' " Patterson recalled. "The facility was just first class."
As it turned out, the opener was Patterson's high point for the year. He made just two more starts, finishing 2-0, and was shut down in May because of shoulder trouble. But he became a workhorse the next season.
The 1989 Bisons had four pitchers – Patterson, fellow Hall members Dorn Taylor and Rick Reed, as well as Morris Madden – make at least 20 starts. That simply doesn't happen in Triple-A anymore. Patterson threw a team-high 177⅓ innings while going 12-6 with a 3.35 ERA. He tied Madden for the team high in victories and tied Taylor for the most strikeouts with 103.
"That year showed a lot of rehab success. It was huge in my career, but I didn't know what I was perfecting," Patterson said. "My career ended up being a short lefty reliever. But at the time, I thought I was going to be a starter."
Patterson thrived under first-year manager Terry Collins and second-year pitching coach Jackie Brown, whom he said was "one of my favorite people in all my time in baseball."
Patterson conceded he played a lot of golf during the season between starts, probably too much. One day in '89, Brown felt it was time to have a talk about the subject with Patterson, who had turned 30 but had only pitched 29 games in the big leagues.
"I'll never forget it," Patterson said. "He goes, 'Bullet', one day maybe you'll realize you've got to put baseball ahead of golf as a priority'. I played maybe three days a week, but he just said, 'What's your priority?' And I said then I probably need to put the golf clubs up during the summer and concentrate on baseball. That was kind of a reality check."
His nickname might have said otherwise, but Patterson never blew hitters away with velocity. So Pittsburgh manager Jim Leyland and pitching coach Ray Miller put him on the path to a reliever the next spring, and it was a big success. Seven times from 1990-97, Patterson threw at least 50 games, topped by his 79 appearances for the 1996 Chicago Cubs. He had 163 outings for Pittsburgh's three division champions from 1990-92.
"Jim Leyland was very patient with me. I probably would not have made it to the big leagues and stayed under any other manager," Patterson said. "I had a lot to learn and he provided that opportunity. Those were great years. There may have been more talented teams at that time, but I don't know that any one of them played as a team like we did."
Patterson lives in Hickory, N.C., and runs a car brokerage lot. In an ode to his baseball career, its name uses his nickname – "Bullet Properties."
Forever Enshrined in the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame - Bob Patterson! pic.twitter.com/B3Q3ee1tBj
— Buffalo Bisons🦬 (@BuffaloBisons) July 30, 2022
