Four Former Bisons Go To IL Hall

Four former Buffalo Bisons players are among the 14 individuals that will be inducted into the International League’s Hall of Fame during the 2009 season. Pitchers Charles “Rube” Kisinger and Charles “Red” Barrett, outfielder Joe Knight and third baseman/manager Steve Demeter were all elected by the league’s Hall of Fame committee.

The Bisons will hold an induction ceremony at Coca-Cola Field during the 2009 season (date TBD).

With the four new inductees, the Bisons now have 25 former players and managers in the International League Hall of Fame. The IL inducted six former Bisons last season as part of a historic class of 27 as the league revived its dormant Hall of Fame.

One of the Bisons early greats, Kisinger won 117 games with the team in seven seasons in Buffalo from 1904-1910. During that time, he also recorded an International League record 31 shutouts. In 1904, he went 24-11 to lead the Bisons to their first ever pennant. He also won 20+ games in 1905 and 1906 and threw a no-hitter on August 21, 1909 against Rochester. In 1987, Kisinger was elected to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame.

In his nine-year International League career, Kisinger won 150 games in 315 appearances.

Demeter played one season in Buffalo but it was an All-Star campaign with the Bisons. In 1955, the third baseman hit .285 (147-516) and led the team with 17 home runs and 79RBI. He added 28 doubles and nine triples to his solid year in Buffalo. Demeter went on to play 11 seasons in the International League with Toronto, Rochester and Syracuse and hit 159 home runs in 1,395 games.

Demeter’s managerial career brought him back to Buffalo. He served as the Bisons manager in 1979 and 1980, their first two seasons after an eight-year absence from professional baseball. Demeter was 139-137 with the Double-A Bisons of the Eastern League.

Barrett spent one season in Buffalo, pitching in 28 games with a 5-1 record and a 3.60ERA with the Bisons in 1951. Prior to that, the righty went 16-3 in 1938 with Syracuse before retuning four years later to go 20-12 for the IL Champion Chiefs. As a National League pitcher, Barrett was 69-69 for Cincinnati, Boston and St. Louis from 1937-1949.

Knight played just six games with the Bisons during the 1899 season, the final six games of his career. From 1866-1899, Knight played for 10 teams and averaged .345 with 1,865 hits in 1,265 games in the International League.

Tagged with: Baseball Hall Of Fame, Buffalo Bisons, Demeter, Fame Committee, Hall Of Fame, Home Runs, Induction Ceremony, Joe Knight, Kisinger, League Career, Managerial Career, Outfielder, Pennant, Professional Baseball, Rube, S Hall, Seven Seasons, Star Campaign, Tbd, Third Baseman

Four Former Bisons Go To IL Hall

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