Buffalo Bisons

This article is about the minor league baseball franchise, for other teams named Buffalo Bisons see Buffalo Bisons (disambiguation).

This article covers all modern incarnations but focuses on the Double-A team founded in 1979 and the Triple-A team that moved from Wichita, Kansas in 1984.

Buffalo Bisons Founded in 1979 Buffalo, New York
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Triple-A (1985–Present) Double-A (1979–1984)
Minor league affiliations
International League (1998–Present) North Division American Association (1985–1997) Eastern League (1979–1984)
Major league affiliations
New York Mets (2009–Present) Cleveland Indians (1983–1984, 1987, 1995–2008) Pittsburgh Pirates (1979–1982, 1988–1994) Chicago White Sox (1985–1986)
Name
Buffalo Bisons (1979–Present)
Ballpark
Coca-Cola Field (2009–Present) Dunn Tire Park (1998–2008) North AmeriCare Park (1995–1998) Pilot Field (1988–1994) War Memorial Stadium (1961–1970, 1979–1987) Hyde Park Stadium (1967–1968) Offermann Stadium (1924–1960) Buffalo Baseball Park (1889–1923) Olympic Park (1884–1888) Riverside Park (1879–1883)
Minor league titles
League titles	1933, 1936, 1957, 1961, 1998, 2004
Division titles	1998, 2001, 2004, 2005
Owner(s)/Operated by: Bob Rich Jr.
Manager: Wally Backman
General Manager: Michael Buczkowski

The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League (IL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. The Bisons play at Coca-Cola Field in downtown Buffalo.

The current incarnation of the Bisons was founded in 1979, when Buffalo ownership interests purchased the Jersey City A's of the Double-A Eastern League and moved the team to the city.

Team history

The history of teams known as the Buffalo Bisons dates to a major league club, the Buffalo Bisons of the National League, who played from 1879 to 1885. In 1886, the Bisons moved into minor league baseball as members of the original International League. (An "outlaw" team also known as the Buffalo Bisons also played in the Players' League, an upstart third major league, in 1890, but that team is not currently considered part of the Bisons history.) This team joined the Western League in 1899, and was within weeks of becoming a major league team when the Western League announced it was changing its name to the American League in 1900. However, by the start of the 1901 season, Buffalo had been bumped from the league in favor of the Boston Americans; the Bisons returned to the minors that year.

This franchise continued in the IL (known as the Eastern League from 1891 to 1911) through June 11, 1970, when it transferred to Winnipeg, Manitoba as the Winnipeg Whips, due to poor attendance and stadium woes. In 1969, Héctor López became the first black manager at the Triple-A level while managing Buffalo Bisons—six years before Frank Robinson became the first black manager in Major League Baseball. After stops in Winnipeg and Hampton, Virginia, the team was suspended after the 1973 season to make way for the Memphis Blues.

A Bisons game at Coca-Cola Field in July 2010

The Bisons name was revived when a Double-A Eastern League franchise moved to Buffalo in 1979. That team assumed the previous Bisons team history. After six seasons in the Eastern League, the Bisons rejoined the Triple-A ranks in 1985, joining the American Association when the Wichita Aeros' franchise rights were transferred to Buffalo. When, as part of a reorganization of Triple-A baseball, the American Association folded after the 1997 season, Buffalo joined the International League.

Since their return to Triple-A baseball in 1985, the Bisons have made the playoffs 11 times. In 2004, the team came back from being 10 games out of first-place in late June to winning their division by a convincing 9½ games. Buffalo won its first-round playoff, against the Durham Bulls, and advanced to the Governors' Cup Finals, in which they had home field advantage over the Richmond Braves. The remnants of Hurricane Ivan caused major flooding problems in Richmond and the entire series was played in Buffalo. The Bisons defeated the Braves in four games and won the Governors' Cup for the second time since 1998. In 2005, Buffalo won the North Division and played the Indianapolis Indians in the first round, winning the first two games in Indianapolis, but losing all three remaining games. With many of its players shuffled to the Cleveland Indians throughout the final months of the season, the Bisons failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2006. In 2007, Buffalo failed once again to clinch a playoff spot, marking the first time since Buffalo was parented with the Pittsburgh Pirates that the Bisons missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

The Mets era

After the 2008 season, Buffalo parted ways with the Cleveland, as the Indians signed an affiliation agreement with the Columbus Clippers beginning in 2009. The Bisons then signed a two-year agreement to be the top home for New York Mets prospects.

On December 16, 2008, the Mets officially announced that Ken Oberkfell will be the Bisons new manager for 2009. At the same press conference, the Bisons also unveiled their new logo. The logo pays homage to baseball's 123 year history in the city of Buffalo with the city's skyline in the background. The logo, along with the new colors of blue and orange, closely resemble that of the team's new parent club, the Mets.

In the 2009–2010 off-season, the Bisons were chosen to host the 2012 Triple-A All-Star Game to celebrate 25 years at Coca-Cola Field. The game will be played on Wednesday, July 11, 2012.

In late July 2010, it was announced that the Bisons and Mets agreed on a two-year extension that will carry their agreement through the 2012 season.

The 2010–2011 off-season saw changes to the Bisons couching staff. Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell was promoted to the Mets as bench coach returning Oberkfell to the big leagues. Oberkfell was replaced by Tim Teufel who was a member of the 1986 Mets team. Teufel was introduced on Friday January 21, 2011, as the 16th manager in the Bisons' modern era.

The 2011-2012 off-season once again saw coaching changes. Tim Teufel was promoted to 3rd base coach on the Mets. He was replaced by Wally Backman. He was introduced on November 17, 2011.

Year-by-year records

Year	Aff.	League	Div.	Finish	W	L	W%	Manager	Playoffs
1979	Pirates	Eastern League		4th	72	67	.518	Steve Demeter	League didn't hold playoffs
1980	Pirates	Eastern League	North	1st (first half) 3rd (second half) 5th (overall)	67	70	.489	Steve Demeter	Lost in Semi-Finals, 0–2 (Millers)
1981	Pirates	Eastern League	North	4th (first half) 2nd (second half) 7th (overall)	56	81	.409	John Upon	Did not qualify
1982	Pirates	Eastern League	North	4th (first half) 4th (second half) 8th (overall)	55	84	.396	Tommy Sandt	Did not qualify
1983	Indians	Eastern League		3rd	74	65	.532	Al Gallagher	Lost in Semi-Finals, 0–2 (Sailors)
1984	Indians	Eastern League		5th	72	67	.518	Jack Aker	Did not qualify
1985	White Sox	American Association	East	3rd	66	76	.465	John Boles	Did not qualify
1986	White Sox	American Association	East	2nd	71	71	.500	Jim Marshall	Did not qualify
1987	Indians	American Association		5th	66	74	.471	Orlando Gomez Steve Swisher	Did not qualify
1988	Pirates	American Association	East	3rd	72	70	.507	Rocky Bridges	Did not qualify
1989	Pirates	American Association	East	2nd	80	62	.563	Terry Collins	Did not qualify
1990	Pirates	American Association	East	2nd	85	62	.578	Terry Collins	Lost one-game playoff, 3–4 (Sounds)
1991	Pirates	American Association	East	1st	81	62	.566	Terry Collins	Lost in Championship, 2–3 (Zephyrs)
1992	Pirates	American Association	East	1st	87	57	.604	Marc Bombard	Lost in Championship, 0–4 (89ers)
1993	Pirates	American Association	East	2nd	71	73	.493	Doc Edwards	Did not qualify
1994	Pirates	American Association		8th	55	89	.382	Doc Edwards	Did not qualify
1995	Indians	American Association		2nd	86	62	.569	Brian Graham	Won Semi-Finals, 3–1 (Royals) Lost in Championship, 2–3 (Redbirds)
1996	Indians	American Association	East	1st	84	60	.583	Brian Graham	Lost in Semi-Finals, 2–3 (Indians)
1997	Indians	American Association	East	1st	87	57	.604	Brian Graham	Won Semi-Finals, 3–2 (Indians) Won Championship, 3–0 (Cubs)
1998	Indians	International League	North	1st	81	62	.566	Jeff Datz	Won Semi-Finals, 3–0 (SkyChiefs) Won Championship, 3–2 (Bulls) Lost World Series, 1–3 (Zephyrs)
1999	Indians	International League	North	4th	72	72	.500	Jeff Datz	Did not qualify
2000	Indians	International League	North	1st	86	59	.593	Joel Skinner	Won one-game playoff, 7–1 (Red Barons) Lost in Semi-Finals, 1–3 (Red Barons)
2001	Indians	International League	North	1st	91	51	.641	Eric Wedge	Lost in Semi-Finals, 2–3 (Red Barons)
2002	Indians	International League	North	2nd	84	54	.609	Eric Wedge	Won Semi-Finals, 3–0 (Red Barons) Lost in Championship, 0–3 (Bulls)
2003	Indians	International League	North	3rd	73	70	.510	Marty Brown	Did not qualify
2004	Indians	International League	North	1st	83	61	.576	Marty Brown	Won Semi-Finals, 3–2 (Bulls) Won Championship, 3–1 (Braves)
2005	Indians	International League	North	1st	82	62	.569	Marty Brown	Lost in Semi-Finals, 2–3 (Indians)
2006	Indians	International League	North	3rd	73	68	.518	Torey Lovullo	Did Not Qualify
2007	Indians	International League	North	3rd	75	67	.569	Torey Lovullo	Did Not Qualify
2008	Indians	International League	North	5th	66	77	.462	Torey Lovullo	Did Not Qualify
2009	Mets	International League	North	6th	56	87	.392	Ken Oberkfell	Did Not Qualify
2010	Mets	International League	North	3rd	76	68	.528	Ken Oberkfell	Did Not Qualify
2011	Mets	International League	North	5th	61	82	.427	Tim Teufel	Did Not Qualify

Titles

The Bisons have won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the IL, 6 times, including the inaugural Cup, and played in the championship series 10 times.

• 1933 – Defeated Rochester
• 1936 – Defeated Baltimore
• 1938 – Lost to Newark
• 1947 – Lost to Syracuse
• 1949 – Lost to Montréal
• 1957 – Defeated Miami
• 1961 – Defeated Rochester
• 1998 – Defeated Durham
• 2002 – Lost to Durham
• 2004 – Defeated Richmond

Since 1998 the Bisons have won the IL North Division four times (1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005). They have also won the Thruway Cup, a regular-season competition between Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, six times since its inception in 1998.

Roster

Buffalo Bisons roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 32 Mark Cohoon 20 Jack Egbert -- Daniel Ray Herrera 44 Dylan Owen -- Elvin Ramirez		Catchers    Vacant Infielders -- Russ Adams ‡ Outfielders 33 Raul Reyes		Manager  6 Wally Backman Coaches    Vacant (pitching)  8 Mike Easler (hitting) 7-day disabled list * On New York Mets 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated January 31, 2012 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → New York Mets minor league players

Notable alumni

Former Bisons in the majors in 2011

(former Bisons players who have participated in at least one MLB game in 2011)

• Danys Báez (Philadelphia Phillies)
• Rafael Betancourt (Colorado Rockies)
• Milton Bradley (Seattle Mariners)
• Russell Branyan (Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
• Tim Byrdak (New York Mets)
• Asdrúbal Cabrera (Cleveland Indians)
• Robinson Cancel (Houston Astros)
• Fausto Carmona (Cleveland Indians)
• Shin-Soo Choo (Cleveland Indians)
• Bartolo Colón (New York Yankees)
• Alex Cora (Washington Nationals)
• Coco Crisp (Oakland Athletics)
• R. A. Dickey (New York Mets)
• Chad Durbin (Cleveland Indians)
• Ben Francisco (Philadelphia Phillies)
• Freddy García (New York Yankees)
• Chris Gimenez (Seattle Mariners)
• Sean Green (Milwaukee Brewers)
• Jeremy Guthrie (Baltimore Orioles)
• Franklin Gutiérrez (Seattle Mariners)
• Travis Hafner (Cleveland Indians)

• Maicer Izturis (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
• Kevin Kouzmanoff (Oakland Athletics)
• Aaron Laffey (Seattle Mariners)
• Cliff Lee (Philadelphia Phillies)
• Ryan Ludwick (San Diego Padres)
• Víctor Martínez (Detroit Tigers)
• Darnell McDonald (Boston Red Sox)
• John McDonald (Toronto Blue Jays)
• Jason Michaels (Houston Astros)
• Edward Mujica (Florida Marlins)
• Jhonny Peralta (Detroit Tigers)
• Rafael Pérez (Cleveland Indians)
• Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati Reds)
• Manny Ramírez (Tampa Bay Rays)
• CC Sabathia (New York Yankees)
• Josh Satin (New York Mets)
• Marco Scutaro (Boston Red Sox)
• Kelly Shoppach (Tampa Bay Rays)
• Grady Sizemore (Cleveland Indians)
• Brian Tallet (St. Louis Cardinals)
• Tim Wakefield (Boston Red Sox)
• Jake Westbrook (St. Louis Cardinals)

Buffalo Bisons in the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Player/Manager	Year Inducted	Years with the Bisons
Connie Mack	1937	1890 (played for the outlaw PL Bisons)
Charles Radbourn	1939	1880
Jimmy Collins	1945	1893–1894
Jim O'Rourke	1945	1881–1884
Dan Brouthers	1945	1881–1885
Joe Tinker	1946	1930 (Coach)
Herb Pennock	1948	1916
Gabby Hartnett	1955	1946 (Manager)
Ray Schalk	1955	1932–1937, 1950 (Manager)
Joe McCarthy	1957	1914–1915
John Montgomery Ward	1964	1877
Pud Galvin	1965	1878–1885, 1894
Lou Boudreau	1970	1939
Bucky Harris	1975	1918–1919, 1944–1945 (Manager)
Johnny Bench	1989	1966–1967
Ferguson Jenkins	1991	1962
Jim Bunning	1996	1953, 1955
Frank Grant	2006	1886–1888

Mascots

Buster on the field energizing the fans‎

The main mascots of the team have traditionally been Buster T. Bison along with his cousin Chip, but as of 2006, a new mascot named Belle the Ballpark Diva has appeared, along with flamboyant reporter Johnny $tyles. Buster and Belle pursued a love interest, and were married following the August 26, 2007 game against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Buster and Chip wear Bisons jerseys and caps. Buster's number was the last two numbers of the season up to 2009, however, as of the 2010 season his number is 83, signifying the year Buster first appeared as the team's mascot. Chip's number has always been 1/2. The Bisons have had a number of other mascots in the past. MicroChip, who was smaller and presumably "younger" than Buster and Chip, wore a Bisons jersey as well. His number was 1/4. Loudmouth, a mime played by actress Tracey B. Wilson, was another mascot for the team. The other official mascot of the Bisons was Howie the Ump. He wore a costume much like Buster and Chip, but it was a costume of a human umpire, with an umpire's uniform and mask. He was very short lived, existing only during the 1995–1997 seasons, and was played by local improvisational comedian Randy Reese.

Other unofficial Bisons include Conehead, a beer vendor who wears a rubber conehead hat, and The Earl of Bud, another beer vendor, who during the third inning would climb on the dugout and dance. His last appearance was at the 20th Anniversary game for Dunn Tire Park in August 2007. Also a mentally and physically disabled fan named "Mark" can be seen behind home plate making his opinion known throughout the ballpark. He is a beloved staple at Coca-Cola Field.

There is also the Kevin the "K-man." Kevin is a fan with season tickets, who sits in the upper deck, and hangs a green "K" sign every time a Bisons pitcher records a strikeout. He puts the sign up backwards when the batter is called out looking, just as in baseball scorekeeping.

Media/game broadcasts

All Bisons games can be heard on WWKB-AM in Buffalo and many games are televised on Time Warner Cable SportsNet throughout Western New York. Ben Wagner handles play by play while veteran Duke McGuire is color commentator.

Beginning in 2009, Friday games aired as a Game of the Week package on WGR AM 550. These games are a simulcast of those airing on WWKB. Also, Buffalo Bisons games are sometimes aired on SportsNet New York, which is co-owned by Time Warner Cable and the New York Mets (as well as Comcast).

External links

• Buffalo Bisons official website