Buffalo Bisons
From SoSH
| Location: | Buffalo, New York |
| Established: | 1985 |
| MLB Affiliation: | Cleveland Indians |
| League: | International League |
| Level: | AAA |
| Ballpark: | Dunn Tire Park |
| Championships: | 6 |
| Division Titles: | |
| Wild Card: |
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians major-league club. The Bisons play in Dunn Tire Park, located in downtown Buffalo.
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Franchise History
Buffalo first fielded an entry in the International League in 1912. (During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Buffalo also had teams in the Western Association, American League, Federal League and the Eastern League.) Buffalo remained in the IL until 1970, when mounting debt, decrepit War Memorial Stadium and flagging attendance led ownership to fold the team and transfer the franchise to the parent Montreal Expos, who moved the team in-season to Winnipeg. Buffalo, for the first time since the 1870's, was without professional baseball.
Buffalo returned to pro ball in 1979 when a AA Eastern League team was established. The team was purchased in 1983 by the Rich Products Corporation, headed by Robert Rich, Jr. In September of 1984, Rich announced the purchase of the Wichita franchise of the American Association, and Buffalo was back as a AAA city as of the 1985 season.
Following the Bisons winning the final American Association championship in 1997, Buffalo joined the International League as part of the consolidation of AAA to two leagues, the IL and the Pacific Coast League (PCL).
The Bisons moved to Dunn Tire Park in 1988 and went on to record several years of attendence of over 1 million, the first minor-league franchise to accomplish this feat.
The Bisons have won The Governor's Cup 6 times: 1933, 1936, 1957, 1961, 1998 and 2004.
The Bisons also made the 2001 Governor's Cup finals against Louisville and lost Game 1 on September 10th. However, following the attacks on September 11, 2001, the series was cancelled and the championship awarded to Louisville.
Major League Affiliations
- Cincinnati Reds (1958-1962, 1966-1967)
- New York Mets (1963-1965)
- Washington Senators (1968-69)
- Montreal Expos (1970)
- Chicago White Sox (1985-1986)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (1988-1994)
- Cleveland Indians (1987, 1995-Present)
Franchise Names
Buffalo’s professional baseball teams have been known by the following names through the more than 100 seasons of baseball in the Queen City:
- Blues
- Feds
Notable Alumni
Notable Red Sox Who Played Here
- John Halama - on current roster
- Tony Graffanino - on current roster
- Ferguson Jenkins
- Coco Crisp
- Dave Roberts
- Tim Wakefield
