World Series hero Trey Yesavage pitches in Buffalo on rehab start
By Andrew Kulyk
For any other day on the Buffalo sports calendar, this would have been big news.
It’s Tuesday night in downtown Buffalo, and the streets downtown are teeming with people. Sports fans. Buffalo fans. Raucous celebrating as the Buffalo Sabres were getting ready to host game 2 of their best of seven opening round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
And as thousands of people walked by Sahien Field, what was oblivious to almost every passer by was that a Buffalo Bisons baseball game was underway inside the ballpark. Not just any game on a long five month schedule. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage was on the mound, pitching for the Buffalo Bisons on a rehabilitation assignment for his a shoulder injury.
Rehab appearances by big league players are a pretty ubiquitous part of AAA baseball, and happen on a regular basis. Players recovering from an injury and working back in the lineup, or big leaguers who might have lot and step or two and need playing time in real games to work on their mechanics, they often end up on the Buffalo Bisons roster. For local baseball fans of the Bisons, it provides the opportunity to see the stars in action, up close and personal, and if lucky even snag an autograph or a joint selfie at batting practice.
Long time supporters of the Buffalo Bisons can still remember the Mother Of All Rehab Assignments… the September, 2004 Governors Cup championship between the Bisons and Richmond Braves. Cleveland sent its All-Star infielder Jim Thome to play for much of that series, and he was brutally effective in helping land a championship for Buffalo that season.
What was so special about Yesavage’s appearance on Tuesday was his story. This 22 year old pitcher climbed through the entire ladder of the Blue Jays minor league organization in 2025. Starting in low A Dunedin, then on to high A Vancouver, then AA New Hampshire. His time in Buffalo was short; last year he appeared in just 6 games with the Bisons, throwing for a total of 17.1 innings. And just like that, he was gone. Called up to Toronto. And that’s where the Yesavage story went on to remarkable heights..
After getting one regular season win in September, Yesavage was thrown into the fire come postseason. He got a win in the ALDS against the New York Yankees, pitching 5.1 innings and striking out 11. He started twice against the Mariners in the ALCS , one shaky start resulted in a loss, then came back with a win six days later.. But come the World Series, Yesavage had his lifetime biggest moments, a win in Toronto in game 2, then in game 5 in Los Angeles, his most incredible performance of total domination, pitching 7 innings and striking out 12 batters.
So here stood Trey Yesavage. On the mound at Sahlen Field. In the ballpark that Toronto called home for parts of two seasons in the Covid years of 2020 and 2021. Counting fans in the stands on a night where over 3000 tickets were sold there were maybe 300 people in the house. Yesavage remarked that playing before so few in the audience did not affect his psyche, or his performance.”The fans are definitely a benefit, but I have to be the pitcher I am if there are no fans in the stands. So it should not affect me.”
Yesavage’s outing in Buffalo on Tuesday did not go down as a memorable one. Going on a pitch count of approximately 75 pitches, he lasted all of 2.1 innings, charged with four runs, two earned, while walking four batters and striking out just two. And the two unearned runs came about on an E1 in the first inning, where Yesavage collected a comebacker to the mound and then threw the ball wildly to the first baseman.
Nonetheless, it was a homecoming of sorts for the Blue Jays pitcher, who spent time in Spring Training with many of the guys on the current Bisons roster. “It was good to see the guys I saw three weeks ago at Spring Training, Its good just being in the clubhouse with the guys, trying to win every ball game that we play in. That’s how the game goes unnoticed, just the camaraderie and the team-like atmosphere.”
Last fall during Toronto’s magical run to the World Series, and their heartbreaking game 7 loss, the Blue Jays captured the hearts of many Buffalo fans, watching the nightly lineup of players, many of whom played right here with the Bisons. Yesavage’s stellar play was a particular source of pride for the Buffalo fan base that supports both teams. “Fan here are awesome. And even on a day like today when the Sabres are playing, we had a whole bunch of Blue Jays fans here, wearing their Blue Jays gear, and it was so cool to see. They made the trip here from Canada and whatnot. But yeah the fans here are awesome.”
This was most likely Yesavage’s final start with the Bisons on this current rehabilitation stint. He anticipates that Blue Jays Manager John Schneider will insert him into their team’s starting rotation once he returns to Toronto.
As for the Bisons… they lost 5-2 to the visiting Columbus Clippers. Yesavage was tagged with the loss.
And just about the very moment the final out was recorded, at around 9pm, right down the street Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed a crazy gift goal to the Boston Bruins, on a misplayed shot from almost center ice. 2-0 Boston.
On any other night, the eyes of the Buffalo sports fan base and Buffalo sports media would have been right here at Sahlen Field. But not on this night.
