HERDchronicles

By: Brian Frank Bryan Baker has established himself as one of baseball's most dominant closers this season. The Tampa Bay Rays closer has a 1.49 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings pitched, and he’s tied for the major league lead in saves with 30. Baker recently spoke with The Herd Chronicles about his remarkable season, his first All-Star selection, and a moment he’ll never forget—closing out the Midsummer Classic. Baker credits much of his success this season to consis

By: Brian Frank Jay Harry has been one of the biggest breakout stories in the Blue Jays organization this season. The 24-year-old has slashed a combined.317/.363/.562 with 13 home runs and a .925 OPS at New Hampshire and Buffalo this season. Harry grew up in New Jersey, where he graduated from Metuchen High School before going on to play baseball at Penn State University. “My first visit was a whiteout game, so it was pretty hard to beat that,” he said of his decision to atte

By: Brian Frank Sean Keys has been one of the hottest hitters in minor league baseball this season. The slugging infielder has hit 21 combined home runs between New Hampshire and Buffalo. Reports out of Toronto indicate that Keys will be promoted to Toronto today to make his major league debut. His promotion caps a rapid rise through the Blue Jays' system that began just two years ago. Keys recently spoke to The Herd Chronicles at Sahlen Field about starring at Bucknell Unive

By Brian Frank Bisons outfielder Je'Von Ward always knew baseball was his calling, even though he comes from a football family. His father, Reggie Ward, played wide reciever and running back at Notre Dame and went on to play for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. His uncle, Mark Carrier, played college football at the University of Southern California and was a longtime NFL safety, who won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, earned three Pro Bowl se

By: Brian Frank Two prominent major-league rehabbers took the field for the Bisons at Sahlen Field on Thursday evening. Shane Bieber was on the mound for the Herd, continuing his rehabilitation from right arm fatigue, while Alejandro Kirk was the designated hitter in the Bisons' 3–1 victory over the Syracuse Mets. Bieber was acquired by the Blue Jays from the Cleveland Guardians at last summer's trade deadline while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 2020 American

By: Brian Frank Alejandro Kirk returned to Sahlen Field on Tuesday night, continuing his rehab from a broken left thumb suffered on a foul tip in early April. The two-time American League All-Star is no stranger to Buffalo's ballpark. He made his major league debut here on Sept. 12, 2020, against the New York Mets, when the Blue Jays were using Sahlen Field as their temporary home due to the closure of the U.S.-Canada border during the pandemic. He collected his first big-lea

By: Brian Frank Bisons catcher Willie MacIver is so polished behind the plate that one might assume he's been playing catcher his entire life. But although he's long thought of himself as a catcher, he actually played a lot of infield growing up—including playing third base at the University of Washington. "When I was like 12 years old, I decided I wanted to be a catcher," MacIver recently told The Herd Chronicles. "But I was a pretty athletic kid, so most of the time it ende

By: Brian Frank Max Scherzer took the mound for the Buffalo Bisons on Sunday afternoon, making a rehab start for the Herd for the third time in the last two seasons. The three-time Cy Young Award winner went on the injured list in late April due to forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation. He looked as if his injury issues were behind him against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. "I feel good," Scherzer said following his outing. "Those ailments that were plaguing me, the forearm

By: Brian Frank Newest Blue Jays hurler Tanner Andrews’ baseball journey has finally brought him to the ultimate destination. The 30-year-old right-hander is now a major leaguer. Andrews was called up to Toronto and made his major league debut Monday night at Rogers Centre against the team that originally drafted him—working a perfect ninth inning against the Miami Marlins. Andrews spoke with The Herd Chronicles at Sahlen Field before being promoted to the Blue Jays. The 6’3”

By: Brian Frank Bisons infielder Charles McAdoo isn't the first in his extended family to play sports in the Queen City. McAdoo is related to NBA Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Braves star Bob McAdoo, who played in Buffalo from 1972 to 1976, winning the league's MVP award in 1975, Rookie of the Year in 1973, and claiming the NBA scoring title three times with the Braves. “I believe he's a second or third cousin,” Charles McAdoo said in a recent interview with The Herd Chron