You have questions on the Bisons' return to Sahlen Field? We have the answers, especially because a lot has changed in minor league baseball and the world since we last saw the Herd in Buffalo in 2019.
When are the games?
The Bisons have 23 home dates, starting with Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. opener against the Rochester Red Wings. They will play a trio of six-game series in Buffalo (Aug. 10-15 vs. Rochester, Aug. 24-29 vs. Worcester, Sept. 7-12 vs. Syracuse) and a five-gamer vs. Lehigh Valley from Sept. 22-26 as part of the "Triple-A Final Stretch." We'll get to that shortly. Apologies to Yankees fans, but the Herd has no remaining home games against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Their home games against the Yanks' affiliate were all played in Trenton, N.J.
The team said it has opened a waiting list for those who inquired and could not be served.
What's the deal on tickets?
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It's $10 for everyone, young and old, and all seats are general admission. Both levels of the stadium will be open. You can get tickets (with some fees added) at Bisons.com or at face value at the ballpark ticket office. Suites are sold out for this season and the team has a waiting list.
Season ticket holders get free tickets if they pay their account for the 2022 season, essentially giving them a chance to get as many as 93 home games (the 2021 and '22 seasons) for the price of 70. That's a rolling offer, too – current or new season ticket holders can pay at any time and get whatever 2021 games are left for free.
Any Covid-19 healthcare worker can receive two free tickets for matinees this Saturday and Sunday by showing employee ID at the ballpark box office. Free tickets can only be claimed at the ballpark on the day of the game.
The Bisons announced Monday that masks/facial coverings will be required when visiting Sahlen Field's indoor settings – regardless of vaccination status.
What's the mask policy?
Masks/facial coverings will be required when visiting the ballpark's indoor settings – regardless of vaccination status, the team announced Monday.
The mask mandate will essentially mirror what was in place for the Toronto Blue Jays' first homestand in June: Fans will be required to be masked in the restrooms, gift shops, club level suites and Consumer's Pub at the Ballpark (when not actively eating or drinking). The team is recommending masks in the concourses and the seating bowl.
A quartet of pitchers carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning Wednesday afternoon as the Buffalo Bisons breezed past the Worcester Red Sox 5-1 in their series opener in Polar Park.
How is the team doing?
The Bisons are having an excellent year in their first season in MLB's newly named "Triple-A East." With 49 games left, Buffalo is 49-32 and second in the Northeast Division, one game behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (49-30). The Bisons have the third-best record in the 20-team league, behind only Durham (55-28) and Scranton. They built it on the strength of a 29-13 record in Trenton, second to Durham's 32 home wins for the most in the league. Buffalo went 11-1 on the final Trenton homestand, which concluded July 25.
The Bisons got off to a 9-3 start, then struggled for a few weeks as their record leveled at 18-18. The Herd then ran off 12 wins in a 13-game stretch from June 17-July 2, before exploding on the 11-1 homestand. The Bisons went 5-7 on their most recent road trip, with bizarre offensive outputs. Buffalo scored nine runs in each of the final four games at Lehigh Valley, going 3-1, after scoring just one run in each of the previous three games at Worcester and Lehigh Valley.
To reduce travel in Covid-19 times, teams play only division opponents, and all teams are off every Monday. All the Bisons' games are against Rochester (Washington), Syracuse (New York Mets), Scranton (New York Yankees), Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia) and Worcester (Boston). The Bisons have eight games left with Scranton, and all will be on the road in one series from Aug. 31-Sept. 5, including doubleheaders Aug. 31 and Sept. 4.
Buffalo Bisons general manager Anthony Sprague was promoted to his post more than 16 months ago and still hasn't been able to see his team play at Sahlen Field.
Who's on the team?
The first-year manager is longtime major leaguer and popular former Bison Casey Candaele. A fan favorite as an ace utility man with the Herd from 1995-97, Candaele is a former third-base coach of the Seattle Mariners and was most recently Toronto's minor-league field coordinator. Longtime former Blue Jays center fielder Devon White is back for his fourth season on the coaching staff and hitting coach Corey Hart and pitching coach Jeff Ware have returned.
The top player this season has been shortstop Kevin Smith, who is a candidate for Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year honors for both the team and the league. Smith, 25, is batting .286 with 18 home runs and 55 RBIs, ranking fifth in the league in both homers and RBIs. He's tied for second in doubles (21), fourth in slugging (.572) and sixth in OPS (.947).
Among 2019 returnees to Buffalo, infielder Richard Urena stands at .282-8-31, and outfielder Forrest Wall at .252-0-8 in 38 games with a team-high 18 stolen bases. Among the top minor league free agents are infielders Christian Colon (.272-12-42) and Tyler White (.289-9-43). Colon had the game-winning single in the 12th inning of Game 5 as the Kansas City Royals clinched the 2015 World Series over the New York Mets in Citi Field. White had 26 homers in the big leagues from 2016-19, including 12 for the Houston Astros in 2018.
On the mound, 2019 Opening Day starter Jacob Waguespack has emerged as the staff ace at 6-2, 2.88 with a team-high 63 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings. Tuesday's starter is Anthony Kay, who has pitched in Buffalo for three straight years with the '19 Bisons and 2020 and 2021 Blue Jays. He has struggled mightily for the Herd this year, going 0-3, 9.64 in six starts after a 1-2, 5.61 mark in 11 games for Toronto.
As a team, the Bisons are second in the league in both batting (.263) and ERA (3.55).
"The Herd Comes Home" celebration on Aug. 10 will include the first of five fireworks show planned for the season.
What's the playoff format?
The Bisons haven't made the postseason since 2005, which was the longest drought in the International League through the 2019 season. And you won't really be able to say they snapped it this year, regardless of how things play out. In a way to make sure all the teams get in more games for development purposes, especially since the 2020 season was wiped out by the pandemic, MLB recently announced the "Final Stretch" tournament.
The regular season will end Sept. 19 and the three division champions in Triple-A East will all be crowned, as will an overall champion based on the best record. All teams will then take part in the Final Stretch event, playing a pair of five-game series against predetermined opponents. As noted above, the Bisons will host Lehigh Valley from Sept. 22-26 and then play at Syracuse Sept. 29-Oct. 3, venturing into October for the first time in their history.
The team with the best record in those 10 games will be crowned the Final Stretch winner by MLB. The first tiebreaker, if necessary, will be regular season record.
