Ex-Bison Mark Budzinski is back in Buffalo as a Blue Jays coach

After all, this is the major leagues. And as the first base coach of the Toronto Blue Jays, the popular former Buffalo outfielder is looking at a legitimate chance of being part of October baseball.

"First of all, we're fortunate and thankful to be playing, No. 1," Budzinski said. "Our team has done a great job of staying healthy, but even though we're here, we can't really see people. I miss seeing lots of people here, seeing (current and former Rich Baseball presidents) Mike Buczkowski and Jon Dandes.

"That's the bummer of it, but it's still great being back in town and the Bisons and Blue Jays have done a great job creating a great facility for us here. We're very lucky."

The Blue Jays were off Thursday and open a three-game series here against the New York Mets on Friday at 6:37 p.m. (SNY). Two-time defending Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (3-1, 1.69) will be starting for the Mets against Toronto's Chase Anderson (0-0, 4.94 in six starts).

Facing deGrom likely means Budzinski may not have as many baserunners to work with as he's been used to since the Jays have made Buffalo their home. The Blue Jays are 10-6 at Sahlen Field and lead the American League at home with 6.13 runs per game. Their .276 batting average is second to Boston's .278.

"It's such a great group that knows it can be good but knows we're not there 100 percent yet," Budzinski said. "We compete so hard. Our goal is to get in the playoffs and win championships. It's great watching these guys develop. The everyday focus is simply do our job today and win a game and then you see what happens. But we definitely feel we should be in that mix."

Budzinski joined the Bisons for the second half of the 1999 season and was a regular in 2000 (.290-6-37) and 2001 (.256-2-39). He was named the Bisons' Most Inspirational Player in 2000 and both the '00 and '01 teams advanced to the postseason before losing to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the International League semifinals.

The '01 Bisons won 91 games but lost to Scranton, then a Philadelphia farm team, in a five-game semifinal that ended with a 6-2 loss in 19 innings in the decisive game. It remains the longest game in Sahlen Field history.

"Rigo Beltran is a friend of mine who's a pitching coach with Cleveland now who was with Scranton," said Budzinski, who was left at third base to end the 16th inning. "Every time Buffalo comes up, he's like, 'Oh man, we took it to you – in that 19-inning game.' ... That was brutal. A crazy game."

Budzinski moved on from the Bisons after the '01 season and eventually landed in the big leagues with Cincinnati in 2003. He played four games, getting one start in a game at Dodger Stadium and going 0 for 7 with four strikeouts. He never got to the big leagues again.

"It was surreal but I didn't perform the way I wanted to," he said. "I do think about it all the time. Going 0 for 7 hurts. I wish I would have had better at-bats but I'm always thankful to the Reds for the opportunity. I wish I could have done a better job."

Budzinski said his best memory was sharing the time with Reds teammate Sean Casey, his former teammate at the University of Richmond and with Class A Watertown in the Cleveland chain after both were drafted by the Tribe.

Casey, of course, hit the Bisons' American Association-winning home run in 1997 at Iowa before getting traded to the Reds the next spring, so Budzinski did not play with him here.

"I'm in Charlotte with Indianapolis on a Saturday night and I get called up to Cincy and it's a Sunday night game," Budzinski recalled. "I'm in the dugout and Joe Morgan is there (for ESPN) and it was awesome to meet him and talk to him. 'Cas' is taking me around the clubhouse introducing me and I'm like, 'You don't have to do this. You've got to get ready for the game' and he's like, 'Dude, I'm so happy. I'm more excited than you.' It's something you work for your whole life and I'll always remember that."

Budzinski retired in 2005 and looked to the business world, selling real estate. By 2014, he said he missed the competition and wanted to get back in the game so he returned to the Indians for four seasons as a minor-league manager, making three playoff appearances.

In 2018, the Indians brought him to their staff as a support coach doing advance preparation and pregame work. The Blue Jays hired him for the 2019 season to coach first base and work with the team's outfielders.

"I quickly realized after a couple of weeks of spring training that this guy is such a hard worker," said Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo. "He wants the best for the team and for the players and the players respect him, which is huge. That's how players get better."

In Monday night's series opener against the Yankees, for instance, Budzinski sprang a surprise on Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino by giving Vladimir Guerrero the go-ahead to steal second. Guerrero's first career theft was an early moment in the 10-run inning that allowed the Jays to wipe out a 6-2 deficit.

"He's got all the times on how they throw to the plate, how slow they are," Montoyo said. "I give Budzinski the green light to send guys whenever he thinks it's a good time to go. He knows what guys throw in different counts. That's how that went. He saw Vladdy was going to have a chance and he went and he made it."

"Make sure they know the situations," Budzinski said. "I have to learn pitchers and their moves to first, their move to the plate. Charlie has really given me responsibility to work with the baserunners."

Budzinski's Toronto connections? Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins was a former teammate in the minor leagues and president Mark Shapiro was a former Cleveland farm director and assistant GM during Budzinski's time with the Indians.

"They've both been unbelievable to me," Budzinski said. "I can remember riding in buses with Ross in the minor leagues and sitting and talking in Buffalo with Mark when I was about to become a minor-league free agent in 2001 and how open and honest he was with what he thought would be the best move for me. They've been so good for me and my family, you can't thank them enough."

Budzinski marvels at the talent level he sees in the game nowadays. Especially on a Toronto roster full of young, rising stars.

"Players like myself that didn't have the most talent or most success because of spending so much time in the minor leagues, you have to learn little things to do well to stick around," he said. "When you're super talented, those things come easy. When you're not as talented, you have to figure out ways to make it work. That just makes you appreciate how hard the game is, how good these players are, and how you can tweak little things for them to help them win games."