Affiliated baseball will indeed be played in Trenton this year after all.
The Trenton Thunder officially announced Friday that they will host some home games of the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, who will need a temporary home for at least part of their season due to renovations at their home park, Buffalo’s Sahlen Field.
“After 27 years serving as the Double-A home of the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees, we are excited to welcome the highest level of Minor League Baseball to New Jersey,” said Thunder GM and COO Jeff Hurley said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the Bisons, Blue Jays, and Major League Baseball to make this a successful season start.”
The renovations at Sahlen Field are part of a project to prepare the venue for further MLB regular season games, with upgrades including larger player facilities and relocation of the bullpens. The Blue Jays played 26 games at Sahlen Field last year due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing games from being played in Canada, and, while they are set to play their “home” games at their spring complex in Dunedin, Fla., through May, there may be a need for the Jays to use Buffalo as their home base again later this season.
So, for now, the Bisons, whose season is set to start May 4, will head south to Trenton, which was the home of the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate from 2003-20.
“Mercer County and everyone at the Thunder are proud to welcome the Buffalo Bisons to one of the top ballparks in America,” Thunder owner Joe Plumeri said in a statement “Our family of fans will be able to root for future Blue Jays big leaguers against the top prospects from the Phillies, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, and Nationals, while enjoying the beautiful setting along the banks of the Delaware. GO THUNDER!”
The Yankees moved their Double-A affiliate to nearby Somerset, a former independent Atlantic League franchise, for the 2021 season. The Thunder, meanwhile, are set to join five other franchises that lost affiliations in the minor-league reshuffle as part of the six-team MLB Draft League, whose season begins on May 24.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch