Rochester scores in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Bisons, 2-1.
By Nick Grasso / Rochester Red Wings
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Joey Meneses hit a walk off single to drive in Donovan Casey with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the Rochester Red Wings defeated the Buffalo Bisons, 2-1, at Frontier Field. Friday’s win marks Rochester’s fifth walk off win of the year.
In front of 10,510 fans, the largest Frontier Field crowd since 2019, former World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg made the start for Rocheser as he continued his Major League rehab assignment. He went six innings, giving up just one hit and striking out four batters. He threw 83 pitches, 50 for strikes.
Since RHP Max Castillo was called up from the Blue Jays Double-A affiliate, (NH) he had two outings and pitched 11 innings, giving up zero runs while striking out 13. In the third inning of tonight’s game, OF Donovan Casey ended Castillo’s scoreless streak with a two-out bomb to give the Wings a 1-0 lead. It was his fifth homer of the year.
The Bisons tied the game in the top of the 8th. Nathan Lukes hit into a fielder’s choice, giving him a game-tying RBI, his second RBI in the last two games.
Wings relievers Patrick Murphy, Alberto Baldonado, and Reed Garrett held the Bisons to one run in the win.
With Friday’s victory, Rochester holds a 12-2 record in one-run games this season.
The 2-1 win moves the Wings to 5-4 on the year and increases their lead in the International League East Division to 2 1/2 games. The Wings are now 33-18 on the year, the best record to this point in the season since Rochester won the Governor’s Cup in 1997.
The Wings will play host to a doubleheader Saturday against the Bisons, with the first pitch of Game One at 5:05 p.m.