The Buffalo Bisons dropped their opening day game on Friday afternoon, losing 8-0 at Sahlen Field to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
But for the fans in attendance, it was a welcomed return to baseball — no matter the weather or outcome.
Among the 7,847 people in attendance was Mike Sadowy, a lifelong Buffalo sports fan. The 31 degrees at first pitch didn't stop many fans, including Sadowy, as he was layered up in the crowd, excited for opening day. For Sadowy and others in attendance, it was a mental boost being at Sahlen Field.
"I think around here, everybody gets tired of being cooped up all season, and you get a day to come out and watch baseball, there's not much better than this," he said. "It's a great day and just a great experience. And it's totally affordable. It's a sign of the season change. So it's really good for the mind and so forth.”
Scranton came out firing, scoring six runs in the first three innings. Yanquiel Fernández opened the scoring in the second inning with a solo home run on a fly ball to right field. The RailRiders followed it up with five more runs in the third inning.
Buffalo struggled to get its bats going as the Bisons had just one hit through the first six innings, finishing with three total hits in the game.
Bisons Manager Casey Candaele remained optimistic after the loss despite the Bisons' struggles at the plate.
"If 100 games in, we're hitting this way, yeah, there'll be some concern," said Candaele. "I mean, we got another game tomorrow, and we played flawless defense. We didn't make any errors. So I've always said, and I believe, if you pitch well and you play defense, you're going to be in most games.
"They kind of dominated us today, but baseball is a funny game. A lot of teams have lost 8-0 and had very successful seasons."
All of the fans in attendance received a free ticket to a future game due to the Bisons' 50-degree guarantee, a rule that states if the temperature is under 50 degrees at first pitch, everyone in attendance gets a free ticket to a game through May.
Buffalo and Scranton are back at it Saturday at 1:05 p.m. The first 1,000 kids in attendance get a free food voucher.
