Nathan Lukes joins exclusive company with epic six-hit performance for Buffalo Bisons

Nathan Lukes sure had a night to remember on Wednesday.

The outfielder put together an epic, six-hit performance to lead the Buffalo Bisons to a 14-3 rout of the Rochester Red Wings. Lukes scored three runs and drove in four to help Buffalo improve to 24-17, which is good enough for fourth place in the International League.

Lukes started his night with a two-run home run to right field in the first inning. Lukes then singled in the second inning, hit a two-run double in the fourth inning, and doubled again in the fifth inning. He singled in both of the seventh and ninth innings to finish his big game. His performance lifted his OPS to .976 from .870 before the game, and raised his average to .355 from .317, which is now third best in the IL.

Lukes, 29, has a .425 on-base percentage in 27 games for the Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate this year. He hasn't seen the majors yet in 2024, but did appear in 29 games in 2023 with Toronto, bouncing back and forth from Buffalo as the 26th man on the roster. Lukes saw 31 plate appearances, going 5 for 26 with a double, a triple, four runs and two RBIs.

Lukes is the fourth Buffalo Bison player to pick up six hits in a game since the franchise became a Triple A team in 1985. L.J. Talley did it a year ago in a game in Gwinnett, and Moises Sierra had six hits in a game at Syracuse in 2013. Current Blue Jay Justin Turner was the first Bison to pull it off in the team's Triple A era, bashing six hits in a 2010 game in Rochester, when Buffalo was affiliated with the New York Mets. Looking at Bisons history as a whole, Hall-of-Famer Dan Brouthers was the first Bison to get six hits in a game, which he did in 1883 when Buffalo was a member of the National League.

In case anyone was wondering, two Blue Jays have had six-hit games at the major league level. The first to do it was Frank Catalanotto, who didn't "screw it up" during the nightcap of a doubleheader on May 1, 2004 against the White Sox in Chicago. The second Jay to accomplish the feat was Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who got six hits on July 22, 2022, against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.