Coca-Cola Field aka Pilot Field Dunn Tire Park North Americare Pk Downtown Ballpark Buffalo New York Home of the Buffalo Bison International League (Triple-A) |
Hitting got a bit thin in 2002 with only Earl Snyder providing any pop in his bat,
hitting 19 HR and batting .263. Chad Allen (20 2B, 10 Hr, .301), Chris Coste
(32 2B, 8 HR, .318), Greg LaRocca (28 2B, 7 HR, .293) and future MLB 30-30 man
Brandon Phillips (14 2B, 8 HR, .283) were the best hitters in the lineup. The pitching
staff was led by Jason Beverlin (10-8, 3.87), Nerio Rodriguez (4-2, 1.82),
Tim Drew (8-4, 3.27) and Jason Phillips (7-4, 3.39). The Bisons finished the
season in 2nd with an 84-54 (.609) record which was good enough to take the wild
card, which pitted them against Scranton who couldn’t wait to beat them again.
This time however, the Bisons turned the tables taking 3 in a row against the
Red Barons. They finally got to the finals, thanks to Zach Sorensen’s 10th inning
blast in Game 2 to win 6-5, and a comeback win in game 3 which saw Buffalo
score 4 runs in the top of the 9th thanks to a Zach Sorensen’s triple. The Bisons
then went on to face Durham in the finals. With the score tied 4-4 in the
12th the rains came and Game 1 had to be suspended. When it resumed the next
day, Emil Brown’s 2 run blast won it for the Bulls. The Bulls then blew the
Bisons away in game 2 winning easily by a score of 8-1. When game 3 went back
to Durham, the Bulls used their home advantage to keep the Bisons down to a single
hit as they beat Buffalo 2-0 to win the Championship. The Bisons were again
sent home empty handed. Manager Eric Wedge was promoted to manage the Cleveland
Indians after the season ended. |