Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN/WGR 550) - "It'll have been over 1,000 days since the Bisons last had a traditional home opener. It was April 4, 2019. Now here three years later, just over 1,000 days."
It has been 1,098 days, to be exact, but the Buffalo Bisons will finally return to a sense of normalcy on Tuesday when they get set to host the Iowa Cubs at Sahlen Field.
"We had fans back last year for a little bit of a stint after the [Toronto Blue] Jays left, but we're excited to be back for a full season of Bison baseball at Sahlen Field," said Bisons general manager Anthony Sprague.
The past two season had been trying times for all of baseball due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Bisons had it a bit tougher given all that had to take place with the Blue Jays needing to play in Buffalo due to border restrictions.
The 2020 season was a complete wash for the Bisons, as all of Minor League Baseball was put on hold due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, the 2021 season for Buffalo actually started in Trenton, New Jersey, as the Blue Jays were, once again, forced to start their season at Sahlen Field.
It wasn't until Aug. 10 when the Bisons were able to return home to Buffalo, at which point the team went on to finish off its season with a 79-47 record and win the Triple-A East Northeast Division title. It was the Bisons' first division title since winning the International League North Division in 2005.
Tuesday will begin Buffalo's campaign to win another division title in the International League, this time playing in the Northeast Division along with the Rochester Red Wings, Syracuse Mets, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Worcester Red Sox and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
While the Bisons will look to win another division title starting Tuesday, their season opener marks another unique day for the franchise in all of professional baseball.
"We're going to be the first professional game being played this year in baseball - I mean you can kind of forget about that, Major League Baseball is delayed a little bit. So we're excited Sahlen Field is going to host the very first professional baseball game this year," Sprague said.
While the 2022 season is a return to normalcy - for the most part - baseball is taking a bit of a different approach due to the Major League Baseball lockout that recently ended back on March 10. The MLB season will not get underway until Friday this week - along with most of the other Minor League Baseball systems - but the Triple-A season will get started ahead of everyone else.
"We love playing afternoon games on our first home game of the season, whether it's opening day or if we start on the road. Even the home opener, a lot of times it will be a 2:05 p.m. start, but 1:05 p.m. on Tuesday. We take a lot of pride in playing an afternoon game for our home opener every year," said the play-by-play voice of the Bisons on The Bet 1520, Pat Malacaro. "The fact that opening day for us is the first professional game is a nice bonus on that, it's something that over the last week or so we've come to realize the significance of."
However, with the 2022 season set to start for the Bisons three days ahead of the rest of professional baseball, that is likely to create some roster shuffling in the coming days.
"The oddity of the Major Leagues not starting till Friday is their rosters don't have to be set until after our season starts. There are definitely, I'd say, probably four, five or six players that already know going into this they'll be here for potentially just a couple of days, and then go down to the Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire. A lot has to be determined," Malacaro explained. "Even as of right now, the roster is evolving and changing almost hour-by-hour, and it's still something that'll be a work in progress all the way through the weekend."
While the days of watching players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio are over, with all three becoming staples with the Blue Jays, there are still a number of players to watch under the leadership of 2021 Triple-A East Co-Manager of the Year, Casey Candaele. Some of the top prospects in the Blue Jays' system that are expected to spend some quality time in Buffalo this year include catcher Gabriel Moreno, infielder Otto Lopez and pitcher Nick Allgeyer.
While the players are ready to get on the field to play in front of the Buffalo faithful once again, the team itself is also ready to get back to work. The folks off the field are back to work with plenty of new and returning promotional nights and other features with concessions, jerseys and more.
It all starts with the return of, what the Bisons call, "the best night of the week" with 13 "fridaynightbash!" games in 2022. Each Friday game at Sahlen Field will include a Resurgence Brewing Happy Hour from 5-6:30 p.m. ET, where fans can enjoy 12 oz. craft beers and great food specials for only $4. And of course, every "fridaynightbash!" includes a postgame fireworks show for the crowd.
As for the Resurgence Brewing Happy Hour, it has been expanded to include 50% more taps with a second serving area on the first base side of the ballpark.
Meanwhile, the Bisons have also partnered with Southern Tier Brewing to host "Thirsty Thursdays" at all evening Thursday start times. Fans will be able to check out the new Southern Tier Stand by Section 105 of the main concourse and enjoy 16 oz craft beers for only $6 all game.
As for some of the new concession options at the ballpark, Sahlen’s is bringing another option with their new "Grilled For You" hot dog that brings an authentic grilled Smokehouse flavor to fans on the go. The concessions menu will also feature the new "Taco Log" from Original Pizza Logs, a "Beyond Burger" found at the team’s Highmark Healthy Cart, and loaded nachos with chili cheese and jalapeños for fans wanting to step up the heat from their nacho order.
In addition to adding Southern Tier Brewing to their craft beer lineup, Yuengling and Corona Seltzers are also new additions on the beverage menu this season.
To help Bisons fans with concessions this season, the team has partnered with Spot On Point-of-Sale system to roll-out a new form of mobile ordering.
"You can order from your seat and pick up your food from the concession stands," Sprague explained.
Jerseys always seem to be a popular item with the Bisons, and there's no exception to that case for 2022.
The team has added two new looks for the upcoming season, as they will wear a new royal blue alternate jersey top, while also sporting a powder blue "Affiliation Blue" top.
The royal blue alternate top will be worn both at Sahlen Field and on the road, and include a scarlet red "Buffalo" across the chest, along with the team’s popular and historic "Standing Buffalo" logo patch on a sleeve. The new "Affiliation Blue" combines a retro script "Bisons" on the front, as well as interlocking American and Canadian flags on a sleeve to pay tribute to the partnership between Buffalo and Toronto, and their connection with fans from Southern Ontario.
Another popular item across Minor League Baseball that will return for the Bisons in 2022 is their extensive schedule of promotional events.
Perhaps the most popular night of the season is "Star Wars Night," which returns for a 13th season on Saturday, June 11.
"16,700 fans in this ballpark, many of them with [lightsabers] lit up and the on-field program that we have," Malacaro said of "Star Wars Night." "A lot of folks don't know, that is unique to us. A lot of teams in Minor League Baseball will wear Star Wars jerseys like we will this year, but no other team in Minor League Baseball sends a script to Lucas Films that is approved by Disney and Lucas Films every year for a lot of the in-game stuff that we do. That is all approved by Star Wars. So that is something that fans can definitely look forward to. It gets a stamp of approval from all those in charge."
Another popular night on the Bisons' promotional schedule is the "Independence Eve Celebration" with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. However, this year's event will be slightly different from that of year's past.
"Normally it's July 3, the 'Independence Eve Celebration' with the BPO. The Bisons are actually on the road this year on July 3, but they're home on the 4th," Malacaro said. "So the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will play here at Sahlen Field on July 4, and the "Independence Night Celebration" with the BPO is something I'm looking forward to."
Also coming back for another season this year is "School Kids Day," returning on Tuesday, June 7. In addition, the team will host six "Dog Days at the Park," where dogs get into the game for free.
As for what's new, the Bisons will have a pair of theme nights to celebrate Buffalo and Western New York’s sports community.
On Aug. 20, the club will host "Hockey Night" in collaboration with the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. Then on July 22, the Bisons will host "Lacrosse Night" in collaboration with the National Lacrosse League's Buffalo Bandits. Both nights will feature specialized team jerseys and caps that are to be announced at a later date.
It has been a long time coming, but this season's "Bobblehead Giveaway" night will feature a Bichette bobblehead on Saturday, July 23. That is just one of many giveaways on the team’s promotional schedule that also includes a "Division Championship Banner" giveaway on May 17, as well as a "Carrot" bobblehead on Aug. 24.
A full and updated promotional schedule can be found on Bisons.com.