BY DAN GLICKMAN
BUFFALO, N.Y. –For the first time since 2013, the Rochester Red Wings (45-30 in the second half, 90-58 overall) are heading to the postseason, as they used home runs of both the over-the-fence and inside-the-park variety to bludgeon their way back from an early deficit en route to a 15-8 victory at the Buffalo Bisons (33-39 in the second half, 68-79 overall) on Sunday to give them the International League’s second-half title.
The win redeemed the Red Wings after they fell achingly close to winning the first-half title, which would have given them an early entry into the playoffs as well as a home field advantage.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
“We had a tough first half, but you know what we did? We fought, and we ain’t finished!” shouted Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy post-game, just before the team unleashed a shower of champagne and beer upon each other.
The post-game speech from Matt LeCroy. Thank you to @IanMillsTV, who got into the clubhouse before Bisons security locked it down. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/vunBuyRm6T
— Dan J. Glickman (@DanJGlickman) September 20, 2026
“We fought all season and got back to the same position [as the first half] and finished the job,” said Trey Lipscomb, who had been named the team’s MVP a few days before. “The guys in the lockers come together, everybody can jsut that we’re trying to play baseball, and that just wears off on each other from the others down, from skip to the trainers, to the family, the players… it’s just awesome to be a part of.”
Right fielder Leandro Pineda homered twice including a key game-tying two-run shot in the fifth, while Andrew Pinckney also hit two dingers, including the go-ahead homer immediately after Pineda had tied the game. And then there was Seaver King, who hit an inside-the-park home run, the first for a Red Wing since Ryan McGuire did so in Ottawa on August 2, 2003.
Liover Peguero, Max Romero Jr., and Riley Adams also went deep, part of an eight-home run day that was the most for Rochester since at least 2002.
It was, for LeCroy and many others, a joyous occasion – and a vindication for a team that finished at worst (with some games still underway on Sunday night) 7.5 games above their nearest competitor on a full season. The 90 wins is the most for a Red Wings team since 1953
“I am so happy for Red Wings organization,” he said post-game, even as others continued to pour champagne and beer on him. “I’m so proud of the players and the staff that brought it every single day – we had a tough sting to the first half, and then they fought back in the second. I felt like we had the best team in the whole league, and I’m glad we finished it up today.”
It was a sharp turnaround from the early innings of the game, where it seemed the Wings would be doomed to miss the playoffs despite their great full-season record.
Down 5-1 going into the fifth, the Red Wings had already squandered several scoring opportunities, with only a Pineda solo shot in the fourth to put them on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Syracuse led in its game, and a Syracuse win combined with a Red Wings loss would have eliminated Rochester.
However, the fifth inning ended up being a turning point. Peguero started the inning with a solo shot hit 379 feet to left-center off John Klein to cut Buffalo’s lead to 5-2. King followed up with a single, and then Trey Lipscomb doubled for the 30th time this season– becoming the first Red Wing since 1949 to pull off a 30 HR, 30 double season. Although Cayden Wallace then grounded out, it still brought home King to make it 5-3.
After an Adams strikeout, Pineda came to the plate and worked a 1-2 count before he got hold of a high fastball from Klein. Smacking it at 105.4 MPH, the Venezuelan left-hander knew immediately that the ball was gone, flipping his bat in celebration as the ball went and landed in Buffalo’s “Bully Hill” party section in right field with an estimated distance of 395 feet. The game was tied, 5-5, and Pineda had had a signature moment in one of his best games of the season, one where he went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, three RBI, and three runs scored.
Although the Red Wings weren’t done, John Klein was – he was removed for Daniel Guerra, who Pinckney welcomed to the game with a go-ahead solo shot lined at 102.5 MPH over the right-center field fence. Down 5-1, the Red Wings now led 6-5.
“I was more thinking about Pineda’s homer right before more,” Pinckney admitted after the game. “I just knew they were on the ropes, he’d just come in, I wanted to get ahead. And I got a good pitch to hit.”
Rochester would then spend the rest of the game adding ever-more insurance, beginning with King in the sixth. Facing an 0-2 pitch, the prospect got hold of a 97.5 MPH fastball from Guerra and sent it deep to center. At first, it appeared to both King and others that it would be gone, but it started to fall near the track, leading Buffalo center-fielder Daz Cameron to jump and try to catch it against the wall. Cameron missed it, falling to the ground while the ball rolled away into a no man’s land as Buffalo outfielders struggled to reach it. There was little drama: King was able to score standing up, extending the lead to 7-5.
“That was the first [inside-the-parker] I’ve ever hit,” said King post-game. “I thought I actually had it over, but then I saw him jump, and then just kind of took off and got in home and ran as fast as I could.”
THE KING HAS LEFT THE BUILDING. 👑💥
Seaver King sends one INSIDE THE PARK for one of the wildest homers you’ll see! 🏃♂️💨 pic.twitter.com/NJNX0C1QPL
— Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) September 20, 2026
On the mound, Rochester pitching was, at times, iffy, allowing eight runs (five earned) while walking nine and allowing eight hits. The Bisons hit three home runs of their own (including two by Yohendrick Pinango), and the 11 total between the teams tied a stadium record. Key errors early on, meanwhile, helped Buffalo take the early lead against the rehabbing Connelly Early, while late bases-loaded situations threatened to allow Buffalo to get back into the game. However, the nine combined Red Wings pitchers did enough, striking out 12 en route to the win, with Jack Cebert being awarded his first victory at the AAA level.
Offensively, though, the Red Wings would continue to build the lead over the following innings, the biggest a five-spot in the seventh inning courtesy of a three-run shot by Pinckney and a two-run home run by Romero. By the time Adams hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to up the score to 15-7, the crowd of 5,920 in Buffalo seemed to mainly be made of Rochesterians, with cries of “Let’s go Red Wings” audible throughout the stadium.
For LeCroy, that support meant a lot, and provides more motivation going forward.
“It defines who they’re about, after they’ve come out to support us all year long,” he said. “To come out here today, in a must-win game, and feel that support… that’s what the team represents, and that’s why if we can finish this thing off, nothing will make me feel more happier than bringing a championship back to Rochester.”
The Red Wings begin their best-of-three series in Memphis on Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:45 p.m. General manager Dan Mason said post-game that the team is planning fan viewing events, but more details are still to be announced.
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