Buffalo Bisons


The Buffalo Bisons are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Field, the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States.
The current Bisons organization was founded in 1979 and assumed the history of previous franchises that also used the Buffalo Bisons name, most notably the 1886–1970 Buffalo Bisons minor league franchise, and the 1879–1885 Buffalo Bisons major league franchise. The team established the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 to honor former players, managers and contributors to baseball in Buffalo.
The team holds the all-time record for single-season attendance in Minor League Baseball, selling 1,240,951 tickets in 1991 while being considered for 1993 Major League Baseball expansion. Forbes valued the Buffalo Bisons at $34 million in 2016, making it the 15th-most valuable Minor League Baseball franchise.

History

Mayor James D. Griffin and an investment group purchased the Jersey City A's of the Double-A class Eastern League for $55,000 in 1978, and the team began play as the Buffalo Bisons at War Memorial Stadium in 1979. This new franchise assumed the history of prior Buffalo Bisons teams that had played in the city from 1877 to 1970. Robert E. Rich Jr. purchased the Bisons for $100,000 in 1983, and upgraded the team to the Triple-A class American Association in 1985 after buying out the Wichita Aeros for $1 million. Rich Jr. grew the team's popularity and was known for his innovative promotional tie-ins, most notably an annual series of post-game concerts by The Beach Boys.
The Buffalo Bisons moved to the $42.4 million Pilot Field in downtown Buffalo in the 1988 season. In their first year at the venue after moving from War Memorial Stadium, the Bisons broke the all-time record for Minor League Baseball attendance by drawing 1,186,651 fans during the 1988 season. The team won two division titles and set subsequent attendance records on the heels of their unsuccessful 1993 Major League Baseball expansion bid. The team's 1991 single-season attendance of 1,240,951 remains a Minor League Baseball record.
File:Nashville Sounds at Buffalo Bisons, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, NY, 1987.jpg|thumb|left|Buffalo Bisons hosting Nashville Sounds for their final game at War Memorial Stadium, August 30, 1987
The Cleveland Indians replaced the Pittsburgh Pirates as Major League Baseball affiliate of the Buffalo Bisons prior to the 1995 season. The team won division titles in 1996 and 1997, and won the final American Association championship in 1997. Bartolo Colón threw the first no-hitter in franchise history on June 20, 1997 against the New Orleans Zephyrs.
In wake of the American Association disbanding following the 1997 season, the Bisons joined the International League in 1998. The team won the division and league championship in their first season, but lost the Triple-A World Series. The addition of regional rivalries allowed for the creation of the Thruway Cup, an annual competition between the Buffalo Bisons, Rochester Red Wings and Syracuse SkyChiefs. The Bisons went on to win division titles in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, and the league championship at home in 2004.
The New York Mets replaced the Cleveland Indians as Major League Baseball affiliate of the Buffalo Bisons prior to the 2009 season. This era was plagued with poor on-field performance and low attendance.
The Toronto Blue Jays replaced the New York Mets as Major League Baseball affiliate of the Buffalo Bisons prior to the 2013 season. To kick off this era, the Bisons scored 27 runs on 29 hits against the Syracuse Chiefs on April 18, 2013, setting records for the most runs and hits in an International League game since 1973. The Blue Jays used Sahlen Field as their home field in 2020 after the Bisons season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, investing $5 million in upgrading the venue.
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball and the closure of the International League, the Bisons joined the newly formed Triple-A East in 2021. Due to renovations at Sahlen Field as well as use of the stadium by the Blue Jays, the Bisons began their 2021 season at Trenton Thunder Ballpark in Trenton, New Jersey. At their home games, they wore the uniforms of the Trenton Thunder and were referred to as such, while on the road they were still known as the Buffalo Bisons.
With the reinstatement of the historical league names in 2022, the Bisons were returned to the International League.

Roster

Alumni

Retired numbers

NumberPlayerRetirement Date
6Ollie Carnegie
25Luke Easter
30Jeff MantoAugust 17, 2001
42Jackie RobinsonApril 15, 1997

National Baseball Hall of Fame members

Player/ManagerYear InductedYears with the Bisons
Jim Thome20181998
CC Sabathia20252006

International League Hall of Fame members

Player/ManagerYear InductedYears with the Bisons
Jeff Manto20141997–2000
Marc Bombard20151992
Mike Hessman20182010

Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame members

Player/ManagerYear InductedYears with the Bisons
Terry Collins19921989–1991
Joe DeSa19921985–1986
Rick Lancellotti19951979–1980
Steve Farr19961980–1983
Dorn Taylor19981988–1990
Torey Lovullo20031995, 1997–1998
Jeff Manto20031997–2000
Tom Prince20041988–1992
Rick Reed20061988–1991
Bill Selby20071998–2000, 2002
Dave Clark20081984, 1987, 1992
Brian Graham20081995–1997
Carlos García20091990–1992
Dave Hollins20092000–2001
Richie Sexson20101997–1998
Tony Peña20111979
Brian Giles20121995–1996, 1998
Russ Morman20121985–1986, 1993
Dave Roberts20131998–2001
Ernie Young20132004–2005
Greg Tubbs20141991–1992, 1994
Eric Wedge20142001–2002
Chris Coste20152000–2002
Greg LaRocca20152001–2003
Alex Ramírez20161997–1999
Jason Jacome20171997–1998
Mark Ryal20171985, 1990
Joe Roa20181995–1996
Marty Brown20182003–2005, 2013
Ben Francisco20222005–2008
Jhonny Peralta20222003–2004
Bob Patterson20221988–1989
Matt Hague20232014–2015
Pete Filson20231986
Brandon Phillips20242002–2005
Brian Anderson20251996–1997
Jolbert Cabrera20251998–2000, 2002

All 25 Seasons Team (2012)

PositionPlayer/ManagerYears with the Bisons
ManagerTerry Collins1989–1991
CatcherTom Prince1988–1992
First BaseRichie Sexson1997–1998
Second BaseBrandon Phillips2002–2005
Third BaseRussell Branyan1999–2000, 2004, 2007
ShortstopJhonny Peralta2003–2004
OutfieldBen Francisco2005–2008
OutfieldBrian Giles1995–1996, 1998
OutfieldAlex Ramírez1997–1999
Designated HitterJeff Manto1997–2000
Starting PitcherBartolo Colón1996–1997, 2000
Starting PitcherRick Reed1988–1991
Starting PitcherDorn Taylor1988–1990
Relief PitcherFernando Cabrera2004–2006, 2012
Relief PitcherDanny Graves1995–1997, 2006

Season-by-season records

Radio and television

Bisons Baseball Network produces all radio broadcasts of Buffalo Bisons games. Their flagship station since 2009 has been WWKB, a clear-channel station in Buffalo. Select games are simulcast on WGR in Buffalo and CJCL in Toronto. Games were previously carried by WUFO/WXRL, WEBR, WBEN and WGR.
Live video streams of all Buffalo Bisons games have aired on the MiLB.TV subscription service since 2013, and free via the Bally Live app since 2023. Select games have been televised on WNYO since 2023. Games were previously televised on WNYB, Empire Sports Network, Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Spectrum Sports and WNLO.
Pat Malacaro has served as the team's play-by-play announcer since 2018. Pete Weber served as play-by-play announcer from 1983 to 1995, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Nashville Predators. Jim Rosenhaus served as play-by-play announcer from 1996 to 2006, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Guardians. Ben Wagner served as play-by-play announcer from 2007 to 2017, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles, after serving 6 years as play-by-play announcer of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Duke McGuire has served as the team's color commentator since 1996, and previously worked as the team's in-stadium public address announcer from 1979 to 1995. John Murphy served as color commentator from 1985 to 1988, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Bills. Greg Brown served as color commentator from 1989 to 1993, and is the current play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Weber, McGuire, Rosenhaus, and Brown were inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame for their broadcast work.