The starting pitcher never got to the mound. The opener left with an injury. And the Buffalo Bisons still cruised in their return to Sahlen Field on Tuesday night.
Five Herd pitchers combined on a two-hitter and Logan Warmoth's three-run homer was the big blow as Buffalo rolled the Rochester Red Wings 11-0 in their first home game since 2019.
The Bisons are a summer staple of Buffalo. And they had not been here in 711 days, since Aug. 29, 2019.
A crowd of 6,404 saw the Bisons pull into a virtual tie for the lead in the Northeast Division of Triple-A East. Buffalo is 50-32, while Scranton/Wilkes-Barre fell to 49-31 with a loss at Lehigh Valley. The teams play 130 games in a regular-season schedule that runs through Sept. 19.
Lefty Anthony Kay was the Bisons' scheduled starter, and manager Casey Candaele freely talked about him on a pregame video call with reporters. But a few minutes before the game, long reliever/spot starter Jacob Waguespack was warming up in the bullpen and he got the ball.
People are also reading…
Buffalo Bisons starting pitcher Jacob Waguespack throws to the plate during the first inning.
Waguespack, who threw six strong innings to get the win in the Bisons' 2019 home opener, allowed only an infield hit to Rafael Bautista in the third, but had to leave the game with two outs in the fourth with what appeared to be upper-body discomfort after throwing a pitch to Rochester's Daniel Palka.
Candaele said both injured pitchers had back tightness and would be re-evaluated Wednesday.
Warmoth, Buffalo's No. 9 hitter, was 3 for 4 in the game and his bolt to left-center carried over the wall in the fourth to give Buffalo a 5-0 lead. The Bisons cruised from there to improve to 13-5 against Rochester this season. Leadoff man Forrest Wall reached base in all five of his at-bats with a double, an RBI triple, two walks and a hit batsman.
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.
"They came out and did a great job," Candaele said. "Forrest working counts and getting deep in counts. I was most impressed with the at-bats working the walks. Getting on base and swinging the bat with the ball over the plate, he did a great job. It was pretty nice to have top and bottom coverage of the lineup."
Tyler White, Richard Urena and Otto Lopez had two hits apiece. Lopez drove in two runs with an RBI triple to spark a four-run seventh.
Relievers Kyle Johnston and Fitz Stadler were both promoted from Double-A New Hampshire on Monday and combined to throw three hitless innings, two from Johnston.
Candaele on the crowd
Candaele remembers playing in front of many enthusiastic crowds here in the 90s. Tuesday's gathering was another in the first Triple-A game in Buffalo in nearly two years.
"You come back to a reception like we had tonight and it was just tremendous. It would inspire any player," he said. "If you didn't get inspired by being here tonight playing in front of these fans, then you should get out of the game. It was great."
"I got the chills just thinking about it," Warmoth said. "It's been a grind this year. ... When the time came to come, we were just juiced. The majority of the team came in on the off day Monday just to check it out here. That never happens on a Monday. You get an off day in August, you're not coming to the field. But everyone was so excited."
The 11-run margin was the largest in a Buffalo home opener, surpassing a 12-3 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2002. It was the Herd's first home-opening shutout since a 4-0 win over Rochester in 1998.
Fans crowd the gates as the Buffalo Bisons return to Sahlen Field for the first time since Aug. 29, 2019.
Pearson on the way
Blue Jays pitcher Nate Pearson, the former No. 1 pick who the club hopes can be a starter someday, is expected to arrive in Buffalo this week to work out of the bullpen for a potential late-season role in Toronto.
Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said Tuesday in Anaheim that Pearson has been dealing with a non-Covid illness and that has delayed his arrival. Pearson has been dealing with multiple groin injuries this season.
Next men up
The six-game series continues Wednesday at 7 as Buffalo's Nick Allgeyer (3-2, 4.68) meets Rochester's Sean Nolin (3-3, 3.80) in a battle of left-handed starters. Nolin is a former Toronto prospect who went 5-7 over 20 starts with the Bisons in 2013-14.
