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IL Buffalo Bisons

Valera Continues to Haunt Wings

July 13, 2021 - International League (IL)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


If you've watched every time the Bisons have taken on the Red Wings this season, you've likely noticed a trend. Breyvic Valera tends to get the best of Rochester.

This past week in the Flower City, Valera continued that trend. Appearing in four of the five games throughout the series, the veteran batted well at the plate, going 8-for-15 with five runs batted in. Valera also produced an extra-base hit in three of the four games he played in.

If Rochester fans weren't aware of Valera before the season, the veteran quickly made them aware. The first series between the two teams was back in May at Trenton Thunder Ballpark, and Valera had a clutch hit that made the difference for the Herd. Tied at one in the bottom of the 7th, the veteran hit a single, scoring two runs for the Bisons to give the club the lead. The Buffalo bullpen held on to that lead and Valera's single was the game-winning hit.

Fast forward to July and this story has been repeated multiple times. In the 13 games that Valera has faced the Red Wings this season, he is batting 18-for-44, with a .409 batting average, and has batted in eleven total runs for the Bisons.

Perhaps no one else knows the trend better than the voice of the Red Wings, Josh Whetzel. When the Herd travels to Rochester, Whetzel will always make sure to point out the veteran's play against his Red Wings.

On Saturday night, with the Bisons trailing 3-0 in the top of the 3rd inning, Valera hit a two-run home run to put the Herd within just one run. Whetzel followed the homerun call by saying "Breyvic Valera, the Wings Killer, strikes again."

None of this is new for Whetzel though. Before playing for the Bisons, Valera was a member of the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2019. Appearing in three different series against the Red Wings, the veteran played in six games, batting 12-for-22, good for a .545 batting average.

Perhaps Valera has a personal vendetta against the Bisons' rival, or he just feels more comfortable against a familiar foe, but Whetzel has a simple way of describing it. "When Breyvic Valera sees a Red Wings pitcher on the mound, he just hits better."

Luckily for the Herd, Valera hasn't needed to see a Rochester pitcher on the mound to hit well. The veteran is following up a great month of June with an even better month of July. Valera is sporting a .333 batting average in the month so far, good for 10th in the Triple-A East.

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Following the series in Rochester, the Bisons are now traveling back to Trenton to take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and the Herd would love to see Valera's success at the plate continue.

The two teams met in Trenton just two weeks ago and Buffalo took the series, winning four of the six games. However, momentum can shift quickly in baseball and this series could change the division standings drastically.

Coming off a 3-2 series win over the Worcester Red Sox, Lehigh Valley has seen improvements in their play as of late. The IronPigs struggled throughout the month of June, going 8-18 in the 26 games the team played. Now 5-5 in their last ten, the IronPigs sit eight games behind Buffalo in the standings and one series could make the gap much closer.

More importantly for the Bisons, who sit just four games behind the division-leading RailRiders, one or two series could define a season with just two and half months left. The Herd will look to maintain their lead in front of the IronPigs in the upcoming series, but also gain more ground in the division race.

The series between the Bisons and IronPigs starts in Trenton on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.

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International League Stories from July 13, 2021


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