September 2009

Feliciano wins Sterling Award

The New York Mets today announced that Ike Davis was named the Sterling Minor League Organizational Player of the Year while righthanded pitcher Jeurys Familia earned Sterling Pitcher of the Year honors.

Outfielder Jesus Feliciano was named the organization's Sterling Award Winner for the Buffalo Bisons, emblematic of the Most Valuable Player on the team.

FELICIANO'S HONOR: CLICK HERE!

Feliciano, 30, was also awarded the Bisons Stan Barron Most Valuable Player after a stellar campaign in 2009. The outfielder led all International League hitters with 154 base hits, tied for the 5th highest single-season total in the Bisons modern era. Feliciano hit .311 (154-495)(5th highest in the IL) with 30 doubles, one home run and 42RBI in a team-high 130 games with the Bisons in 2009. He also led the club with 13 stolen bases and eight outfield assists.

In addition, the Mets announced the 2009 Sterling Awards, emblematic of the Most Valuable Player for each of their nine affiliates.

Catcher Josh Thole received the award for Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League, outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis was honored at St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League, lefthanded pitcher Robert Carson captured the award for Savannah (A) of the South Atlantic League, lefthanded pitcher Mark Cohoon received the honor at Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League, first baseman Jeff Flagg was the recipient for Kingsport (R) of the Appalachian League, outfielder Julio Concepcion was honored with the rookie-level Gulf Coast Mets, first baseman Alexander Sanchez captured the award for the Dominican Summer League and outfielder Andres Perez received the award for the Venezuelan Summer League.

The Buffalo Bisons open the 2010 season April 6 against the Scranton Yankees with the home opener slated for April 14 versus the Pawtucket Red Sox at 3:03 p.m.

The countdown continues


Out of '09, onto 2010

The Bisons 2009 season came to a close on Monday afternoon as the Herd fell to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park, 3-0.

READ: The Recap

The loss was the Herd's 87th defeat of the season, their highest total since a 55-89 campaign in 1994. The Bisons finished in last place in the International League North Division for the first time in their now their 12th season since rejoining the league. It's only the sixth time in the modern era Buffalo has finished the year with a losing record.

Jesus Feliciano was given the well deserved day off after appearing in a team-high 130 games. Even without playing on Monday, the Bisons MVP will lead the entire International League with 154 hits unless Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Austin Jackson (149) closes out league play on Monday night with a monster game.

MORE: 2010 schedule

News & Notes: Game 143 - Season Finale

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TODAY'S GAME: This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons conclude the 2009 season with the final game of a five-game in four-day series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs from Coca-Cola Park (1:35 p.m.). The Bisons trail 1-3 so far in the series and are just 29-50 in divisional games this season.

vs. THE IRONPIGS: The Bisons are 6-9 against Lehigh Valley this season. The IronPigs victory last night ensured them the season series victory over the Herd. Buffalo is just 5-10 at Coca-Cola Park in the first two years of the rivalry. The Herd has never won a series in Lehigh Valley.

NOT SO PETTY: LHP Adam Pettyjohn gets the start in the final game of the season. The veteran has been solid since joining the Herd, going 3-4 with a 3.70ERA in his eight games and seven starts in Buffalo. He did fall in defeat his last time out, allowing six runs (four earned) on 10 hits in six innings of work to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on September 2. Pettyjohn is 2-2 with a 2.86ERA in five road starts for Buffalo this year.

MOST VALUABLE HITTER: Bisons team MVP OF Jesus Feliciano has all but sealed up the International League Hit Crown. Feliciano has posted two straight three-hit games, giving him 154 hits on the season. That's five more than Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's OF Austin Jackson (149). Feliciano came on strong late as he enters today's game on an eight-game hit streak (.452, 14-31). His 154 hits tie him with OF Kevin Young (1992) for the 5th most hits in a single season in the Bisons Modern Era.

OFF THE LEADERBOARD: RHP Nelson Figueroa will fall 2.2 innings shy of winning the International League ERA crown. Figgy posted a 2.25ERA in 17 starts for the Bisons, but has been with New York since August 3. IL pitchers are required to pitch in 0.8 innings per team game to qualify among the league leaders (143G x 0.8 = 114.2IP). Figueroa has only pitched 112.0 innings. This year, no Bisons pitcher will have a qualifying ERA.

TEAM LEADERS: OF Jesus Feliciano will end up as the team leader in virtually every offensive category. He tops the Herd in games (130), average (.311), doubles (30), stolen bases (13) and runs scored (57). INF Mike Lamb leads the team in extra-base hits (36) and RBI (53) while INF Nick Evans' 10 homers are one more than OF Chip Ambres and C Rene Rivera.

ON THE MOUND: RHP Nelson Figueroa and RHP Tobi Stoner will finish the year tied for the team lead with seven wins. Stoner won his last four decisions. Figueroa's 94 strikeouts will lead the team as will his 112.0 innings of work. RHP Elmer Dessens team-best 11 saves earned him a big league promotion this year. LHP Jon Switzer's 41 appearances led the 2009 Bisons.

Felciano hits, Bisons fall in 9th

Sunday's game seemed to be played with the enthusiasm you would expect from two teams way out of playoff contention on the last week of the regular season. Until the ninth inning that is.

The Bisons erased a one-run deficit in the ninth on a three-run home run from Jason Dubois to take a two- run lead. But Lehigh Valley answered in the bottom half on the inning as JJ Furmaniak's walk-off, two-run single gave the IronPigs the 5-4 victory Sunday night at Coca-Cola Park.

READ: Game Story

Jesus Feliciano had three hits and increased his lead in the IL hit chase. The outfielder now has 154 hits on the season, six more than Scranton/WB's Austin Jackson.

News & Notes: Game 142

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TODAY'S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the fourth game of a five-game in four-day series from Coca-Cola Park (5:35 p.m.). The Bisons trail 1-2 so far in the series but did collect the 6-4 victory last night. After today's games, the Bisons and IronPigs will conclude the 2009 season with an afternoon game on Monday.

HIT RACE: The Bisons team MVP OF Jesus Feliciano used a three-hit game last night to take a three-hit lead in the International League hit race. Feliciano's 151 hits on the season are three more than Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's OF Austin Jackson (148) and four more than Gwinnett's INF Barbaro Cannizares (147). Feliciano becomes just the eighth Bisons player in the modern era to reach the 150-hit plateau. The last Bisons players to accomplish the feat where INF Jhonny Peralta (181) and INF Brandon Phillips (158) in 2004.

GETTING CHIPPY: OF Chip Ambres enters tonight's game on an 11-game hit streak. The veteran has hit .372 (16-43) since August 27, with three doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored. It's the second time Ambres has reached the 10-game mark with a hit streak this year. Ambres also hit in 10 straight from August 9-18, averaging .410 (16-39) over that stretch.

vs. THE IRONPIGS: The Bisons are 6-8 against Lehigh Valley this season. The Bisons victory last night gives them the chance to still split the season series with the IronPigs. Buffalo would have to win the next two games to earn the 8-8 split. The two clubs split their first ever season-series in 2008 with each home team winning five or eight games.

Herd powers past 'Pigs

The Bisons pounded out 16 hits on the way to a 6-4 win in Lehigh Valley Saturday night. Jesus Feliciano collected three more hits in the win, now giving him 151 on the year - an IL best.

READ: GAME RECAP

Buffalo is back in action on Sunday at 5:35 p.m.

Bisons drop double-dip

The IronPigs posted back-to-back wins over the Bisons on Friday night to begin the final series of the season.

READ: Game Recaps

Buffalo and Lehigh Valley play game three of the five on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

In case you were wondering...


News & Notes: Game 139

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TODAY'S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the first two games of a five-game in four-day series from Coca-Cola Park (5:35 p.m.). This set will be the final games for the Herd in the 2009 season. The Bisons are coming off a 2-2 homestand where they split a pair of two-game sets with Rochester and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

vs. THE IRONPIGS: The Bisons are 5-6 against Lehigh Valley this season. The IronPigs won six of the first eight contests this year, but Buffalo has won three straight games against Lehigh Valley heading into tonight. The Herd is still looking for its first series win against the I-Pigs at Coca-Cola Park.

FELICIANO MVP: The Bisons team Most Valuable Player OF Jesus Feliciano had another strong game yesterday with three hits in four at-bats. The outfielder is now in a three-way tie with Gwinnett's Barbaro Canizares and Scranton/Wilkes-Barres Austin Jackson for the most hits in the International League (146). Feliciano's .304 is also 7th-best in the IL.

MASONRY: RHP Chris Mason has been a great late-season addition to the Herd's rotation. The 25-year old has posted a 2.13ERA in his first two starts with the club. On Sunday, Mason allowed three runs in 5.2 innings of work in Rochester. That start came on the heels of seven shutout innings in his Bisons debut on August 25 in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Mason began the year in Tampa Bay's system and made one start for the Bulls on June 1 (4.0IP, 8H, 4ER).

GETTING CHIPPY: OF Chip Ambres enters tonight's game on an eight-game hit streak. The veteran has hit .364 (12-33) since August 27, with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored. His two-run blast yesterday was his 12th homer of the season, eight of which have come as a Bison.

BISONS BITS: INF Argenis Reyes has seven multi-hit performances in his last 11 games. He has averaged .353 (18-51) since August 24...INF Luis Rivera gave the Bisons their fifth walk-off win with his 10th inning RBI-single last night...LHP Arturo Lopez makes his first start as a Bison today. The southpaw's first 14 appearances with the team have all come out of the bullpen.

In finale, a winning edition

Despite struggling at home this season, the Bisons left Coca-Cola Field and Herd fans on a good note; winning on a walk-off single by Luis Rivera in the bottom of the 10th inning.

READ: The Finale Recap

Buffalo beat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, 4-3, on Thursday afternoon on the final home game of the 2009 season.

The Bisons close out their 2009 campaign with five games in Lehigh Valley, including a doubleheader on Friday.

News & Notes: Game 138 (Final home game)

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TODAY'S GAME: This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the second game of a two-game series at Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). It's the final regular season home game for the Herd this year, as the team will conclude its schedule with five games in four days in Lehigh Valley. The Bisons are 1-2 on the homestand, having split a two-game series with the Rochester Red Wings earlier this week.

LAST HOME GAME: The Bisons conclude the home portion of their 2009 schedule today. The Bisons are just 28-43 at Coca-Cola Field this season, their worst record in the 23-year history of the park. It's only the fifth time in 23 seasons the Herd will have a losing record at home. However, the Bisons are 13-11 in front of the hometown fans since the All-Star Break.

vs. THE YANKEES: The Bisons are 5-10 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season and just 1-6 against the Yankees at Coca-Cola Field. Dating back to last season, the Herd is 6-16 in the last 22 games against the Yanks. Buffalo still holds the 96-94 edge in the franchise history, but Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has now won three season series in the last four years against Buffalo.

FELICIANO MVP: The Bisons handed out their end of the season awards last night with OF Jesus Feliciano earning Most Valuable Player honors. Feliciano has hit an even .300 this season and leads the club in virtually every offensive category. Now with New York, RHP Nelson Figueroa earned the Most Valuable Pitcher award while RHP Kyle Snyder was the Bisons Comeback Player of the Year. RHP Tim McNab became the first Buffalo player in 6 seasons to win multiple awards (Most Inspirational Player, Community Service Award).

REY TO BE: INF Argenis Reyes has seven multi-hit performances over his last 10 games as his average has jumped to .292 on the season. Since August 24, Reyes has averaged .383 (18-47) with eight runs, four doubles a triple and five RBI. Reyes has now hit .314 in 52 home games, which is why he was given the Jimmy Griffin "Hometown Hero" Award by the team last night.

BISONS BITS: OF Jason Dubois had the team's fourth multi-homer game of the season last night. He had three two-homer games with the club in 2006...OF Josh Petersen's home run last night was his first ever in Triple-A

News & Notes: Game 136

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TODAY'S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the first game of the Herd's last home series of the season at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Bisons are 1-1 on the homestand, having split a two-game series with Rochester. After the short two-game set the Bisons wrap up the season with five games at Lehigh Valley, September 4-7.

vs. THE YANKEES: The Bisons are 5-9 against Scranton/WB this season but just 1-5 versus the Yankees at Coca-Cola Field. Scranton swept a four-game series from the Herd in Buffalo, April 13-16, despite outscoring the Bisons by just five runs over the four games. The teams then split a two-get set here July 7-8. Overall, Buffalo and Scranton/WB have split their last 10 meetings.

TRIPLE PLAY: The Bisons turned a 6-4-3 triple play in the 3rd inning last night. Steven Tolleson lined a pitch that was snagged by Bisons shortstop Argenis Reyes. The Bisons then caught two Red Wings runners off their bases as Reyes threw the ball to 2B Luis Rivera who relayed onto 1B Mike Lamb for two more outs. The play made ESPN's SportsCenter as play #5 on its Top Plays. It was the second triple play in Coca-Cola Field history and the first since July 27, 1997 against Nashville (Jeff Manto-Torey Lovullo-Richie Sexson).

PETTYJOHN: LHP Adam Pettyjohn has turned his season around since being acquired by the Bisons on July 28 after being released by Louisville. In 18 appearances and six starts with the Bats, Pettyjohn was 1-6 with a 4.68 ERA. However in seven games and six starts for the Herd, the southpaw has posted a 3-3 record with a 3.38ERA. Last year's IL win leader has lasted six or more innings in five of his six starts with the Herd, including eight shutout innings against Columbus on August 8. Pettyjohn has struck out 22 and walked only seven in 42.2 innings with Buffalo (27 K, 22BB in 50.0 IP with Louisville).

REY TO BE: INF Argenis Reyes has six multi-hit performances over his last nine games. Over that span, Reyes is hitting .357 with six runs, four doubles and five RBI. Reyes batted .328 during August, a month that saw his average climb from .261 to .284. The infielder played in 32 of the Herd's 33 games.

Bisons spin triple play!

Tuesday's game between the Bisons and the Wings saw a little bit of everything; great defense, hard-hitting offense, a triple-play, and four strikeouts in one half inning. Unfortunately for the Herd they were on the losing end of a wild one at Coca-Cola Field. In the end, the Bisons were out slugged by the Rochester Red Wings, 9-6.

READ: Game Recap, with triple play details

Although the Wings got the win, the Bisons got the highlight of the night turning a triple-play in the third inning. With runners in motion on first and second, Steven Tolleson smoked a liner to short that Argenis Reyes dove to his right to grab. From his knees, Reyes flipped to Luis Rivera at second for the second out and Rivera tossed it on to Mike Lamb at first to record the first triple-play at Coca-Cola Field since 1997 and just the second in the ballpark's history.

News & Notes: Game 135

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TODAY'S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Rochester Red Wings in the second game of a two-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Herd is looking for the sweep after winning last night's ballgame, 6-1. The Bisons welcome the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees to town September 2-3 for the final two home games of the 2009 season.

vs. THE WINGS: The Bisons are 6-9 against Rochester this season heading into the final meeting of the season between these two thruway rivals. The Bisons own a 104-85 (.550) edge over the Red Wings since returning to the IL in 1998. Despite being 3-4 against the Wings at home this season, since 1998 the Herd are 54-41 (.568) at home against Rochester.

ON THE SNYD: RHP Kyle Snyder has been great in this his second stint in the Herd's rotation. In his last five starts, the veteran is 2-2 with a 2.73ERA (26.1IP, 8ER), with 14 strikeouts and 27 hits allowed. Despite having 19 relief appearances earlier in the year, tonight's game will be Snyder's 14th start. That ties him for the 4th most on the team. His 99.1 innings of work heading into tonight are second only to RHP Nelson Figueroa's 112.0IP.

ROLLING STONE: RHP Tobi Stoner kept rolling last night, throwing a five-hit complete game against Rochester. Over his last four starts, Stoner is 3-0 with a 1.33ERA and has allowed just 19 hits in 27.0 innings. On the season, the Triple-A rookie has nine quality starts in 15 outings. The Bisons pitching staff now have nine complete games on the season, three more than any team in the International League.

HIT MACHINE: OF Jesus Feliciano went 1-for-4 yesterday to increase his hit total to 141 on the season, which is still second-best in the IL behind Gwinnett's Barbaro Canizares (143). Feliciano leads the Bisons in doubles (29), runs (54), total bases (175), games played (123) and stolen bases (12). His .301 average is tied for ninth in the IL with Jeff Frazier of Toledo.

FOR THE CUP: The Bisons can spoil the Rochester Red Wings pursuit of the Thruway Cup. With a Buffalo win tonight, the 2009 Thruway Series will go to Syracuse (19-13). If Rochester (18-13) wins, the Wings would get the cup because they have the 9-7 head-to-head tie breaker over the Chiefs.