Miami Marlins catcher Joe Mack, who attended Williamsville East High School in the Buffalo area, made his MLB debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.
Mack reached base for the first time on a second-inning fielder's choice and was welcomed to the big leagues by Phillies superstar Bryce Harper, a two-time National League Most Valuable Player and eight-time All-Star.
What was one of the topics Harper wanted to talk about with the Western New York native? The Buffalo Sabres and their run in the 2026 NHL Playoffs.
Mack, the Marlins' fourth-ranked prospect, discussed their interaction in his postgame press conference (via Alex Krutchik of Fish on First):
Joe Mack and Bryce Harper chatted when Mack reached base for the first time. Among other things, Harper asked Mack about his hometown Buffalo Sabres being in the playoffs pic.twitter.com/IPlJl5W0Sd
— Alex Krutchik (@AlexKrutchik1) May 5, 2026
Buffalo's passion for sports is always on display — the Bills Mafia has become one of the most famous fanbases in North America as the city's NFL team chased a Super Bowl title in recent years — and now the area's passion for the Sabres is back full display following a 14-year playoff drought.
The Blue and Gold are firmly in the Stanley Cup conversation entering a second-round series against the Atlantic Division rival Montreal Canadiens and, even if they don't capture the title, being part of the larger sports discussion is welcome after more than a decade of misery.
Tennis sensation Jessica Pegula has also been locked in on the Buffalo Sabres' postseason run
Pegula, the daughter of Sabres owner Terry Pegula and the fifth-ranked women's tennis player in the world, is keeping close tabs on the team's success.
The Buffalo native has been in Europe for the past few weeks as the WTA Tour played tournaments in Spain and Italy, but the time difference isn't keeping her away from Sabres hockey.
"I can't believe I'm in Europe when this is happened," she wrote on Twitter/X after Buffalo's unbelievable comeback victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the first round. "The [fear of missing out] is real. There is nothing better than playoff hockey. Let's go Buffalo Sabres."
Then, after Sabres fans received worldwide recognition for perfectly singing the Canadian national anthem after a microphone malfunction, Pegula chimed in again:
and this is the sole reason I know the Canadian national anthem by 🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/LFR5HRaIZo
— Jessie Pegula (@JPegula) April 29, 2026
The WTA Tour will remain in Europe for the next few months, highlighted by two major tournaments (the French Open and Wimbledon), before returning to the United States in July for the build up to the season's final Grand Slam event, the US Open, which begins in late August.
So, it's unlikely Pegula will get to return to her hometown to experience the Sabres' playoff run firsthand, but she'll surely continue to watch from a far.
Buffalo opens its battle with the Habs on Wednesday night at the KeyBank Center. It has home-ice advantage courtesy of winning the Atlantic Division title during the regular season.
Beating the Canadiens would send the Sabres to the Eastern Conference Final, a stage of the NHL postseason they have haven't reached since 2007.
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