Bisons Defeat Rochester 5-4, Magic Number for Division Now 2
September 14, 2021 - International League (IL)
Buffalo Bisons News Release
The Bisons are one step closer to collecting their first division title since 2005 thanks to a 5-4 victory over the Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday night at Frontier Field. A monster two-run home run from Gregory Polanco and some insurance from Forrest Wall was enough to give the Herd its 13th victory in its last 15 games.
With the win, Buffalo's magic number to clinch a Northeast Division Championship falls to just two. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre played in Lehigh Valley Tuesday night.
Buffalo found themselves in a 2-2 tie with the Red Wings in a well-pitched contest by both sides. Rochester reliever Diego Moreno had retired the first five batters he faced after coming into the game in the seventh, but issued a two-out walk to Kevin Smith to keep the Buffalo eighth inning alive.
Two pitches later, the Bisons had their lead. With Smith breaking from first, Polanco crushed a two-run rocket out to the opposite field in left and into the Herd bullpen. Playing on his 30th birthday, the blast was his third since joining the Bisons and gave his new club a 4-2 lead.
Thankfully for the Bisons, they weren't done on the scoreboard yet. Buffalo added an insurance run in the ninth inning thanks to Wall's second run-scoring hit of the game. With Richard Urena and Cullen Large aboard, Wall singled past the glove of second baseman Jake Noll and into centerfield for a 5-3 Buffalo advantage.
That fifth run proved to be the game winner as Rochester's Raudy Read hit a 449-foot homer in the bottom of the ninth. Following his first home run of the year allowed, closer Bryan Baker got a strikeout and a lineout to close out his 10th save of the season.
Wall went 3-for-5 in the contest and got the Bisons on the board in the fifth inning. Another knock up the middle cashed in two and gave the Herd a 2-1 lead before Rochester tied it.
Dany Jimenez earned the win with more stellar relief. The righty struck out three of the four batters he faced to improve his record to 3-3 on the year. In his last 12 games, Jimenez has struck out 27 and allowed just five hits 13.0 innings of work.
Zach Logue started for Buffalo and struck out seven without issuing a walk. He allowed two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings of a no-decision.
The Herd will take on Rochester again Wednesday night with a 5:05 p.m. first pitch.
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