The Buffalo Bisons are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Field, the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States.
Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Pilot Field, the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark, North AmeriCare Park, Dunn Tire Park, and Coca-Cola Field. Home to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League, it opened on April 14, 1988, and can seat up to 16,600 people, making it the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. It replaced the Bisons' former home, War Memorial Stadium, where the team played from 1979 to 1987.
War Memorial Stadium, colloquially known as The Rockpile, was an outdoor football, baseball and soccer stadium in Buffalo, New York. Opened in 1937 as Roesch Memorial Stadium, the venue was later known as Grover Cleveland Stadium and Civic Stadium. The stadium was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA), Buffalo Indians-Tigers (AFL), Buffalo Bills (AAFC), Buffalo Bulls (NCAA), Buffalo Bills (AFL/NFL), Buffalo Bisons (IL), Buffalo White Eagles (ECPSL), Buffalo Blazers (NSL), Buffalo Bisons (EL/AA) and Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA). It also had a race track and hosted several NASCAR events. The venue was demolished in 1989 and replaced with the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion, which retains entrances from the original stadium.
Shawn Richard Hill is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. He was part of Team Canada at the 2004 Summer Olympics, which finished fourth.
Casey Todd Candaele is an American former utility player and professional baseball coach. His mother, Helen Callaghan St. Aubin and her sister, Marge Callaghan, played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was depicted in the movie A League of Their Own. Candaele and his mother represent the only mother/son combination to have both played professional baseball.
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Winnipeg Whips were a professional Triple-A minor league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that played in the International League from 1970 to 1971. The team was affiliated with the Montreal Expos of Major League Baseball and played its home games at Winnipeg Stadium.
Balor Lilbon Moore is an American former professional baseball player. He played in the major leagues as a left-handed pitcher between 1970 and 1980. Moore was the first player drafted by the Montreal Expos expansion team in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft. He also pitched for the California Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays.
John Eugene O'Donoghue is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He was signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent before the 1959 season and pitched for the Athletics (1963–1965), Cleveland Indians (1966–1967), Baltimore Orioles (1968), Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (1969–1970), and Montreal Expos (1970–1971). During his nine-year major league career, O'Donoghue compiled 39 wins, 377 strikeouts, and a 4.07 earned run average. At the plate, he was 35-for-206 (.170) with three home runs, the first two against Buster Narum and the third off Denny McLain.
The Wichita Aeros were an American minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas, that played in the Triple-A American Association from 1970 through 1984.
Jarry Park Stadium is a former baseball stadium, home to the Montreal Expos, from 1969 through 1976, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Expos were Major League Baseball's first Canadian franchise. It served as a temporary home until Olympic Stadium was made available to the Expos in 1977; its roof was completed a decade later. The ballpark was typically called simply "Jarry Park" or Parc Jarry.
Winnipeg has been home to several professional hockey, football and baseball franchises. There have also been numerous university and amateur athletes.
The 1970 Montreal Expos season was the second season in the history of the franchise. The Expos finished in last place in the National League East with a record of 73–89, 16 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Expos won 21 more games than in their inaugural season in 1969.
The Memphis Blues were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1968 to 1976. They competed in the Double-A Texas League from 1968 to 1973 as an affiliate of the New York Mets. Memphis transferred to the Triple-A International League in 1974, where they were affiliated with the Montreal Expos from 1974 to 1975 and Houston Astros in 1976. Their home games were played at Blues Stadium
There are professional teams based in Canada in several professional sports leagues. The National Hockey League currently has seven Canadian franchises and is the most popular professional sports league in Canada. The Canadian Football League is the only all-Canadian major professional sports league. Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the Professional Women's Hockey League also have Canadian teams.
The 1969 Major League Baseball expansion resulted in the establishment of expansion franchises in Kansas City and Seattle in the American League and in Montreal and San Diego in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, and the Seattle Pilots began play in the 1969 season. One of the reasons for expansion was increasing pressure to maintain the sport as the US national pastime, particularly because of the increasing popularity of professional football.
Buffalo, New York, and its greater metropolitan area is currently home to two major league sports teams, the Buffalo Sabres & Buffalo Bills. Buffalo is also home to several other major and minor league sports teams, including the Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo eXtreme and FC Buffalo. Local colleges active in NCAA Division I athletics include Canisius University, Niagara University, St. Bonaventure University and University at Buffalo.
The 1970 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 17 and September 12. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
