Childhood friends and high school teammates reunite for Triple-A Buffalo
Joe Trezza
For Brian Serven, playing on the same field as Andrew Bash is “as close as you can get to playing with your brother.” Serven and Bash, who are teammates on the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, aren’t technically kin. But they’ve known each other for so long, they might as well be.
It’s been nearly 20 years since they suited up on the same field for the first time, at Palm Desert Youth Sports Little League in Southern California. It’s been more than a decade since they played together at Desert Palms High School. On Friday, childhood friends and high school teammates reunited to form the battery for Buffalo’s 10-4 win over Indianapolis.
“It was nostalgic,” Serven told MLB.com. “We’ve known each other forever.”
Making his sixth start of the season for Buffalo, the 27-year-old Bash logged four innings of two-run ball. Serven enjoyed a two-hit night at the plate and logged nine defensive innings behind the plate. For the longtime friends, it was a first-time partnership in pro ball literally decades in the making.
“When I heard that he was coming over, it was kind of a sweet moment, to be able to have him back there and see him again and be on the same team together,” Bash said. “I love having him back there.”
Serven and Bash were high school teammates for one year at Palm Desert High in Palm Desert, Calif. Serven, who is two years older than Bash, was a senior when Bash made the varsity team as a sophomore. But their bond was forged well before that.
Born and raised in the same neighborhood, Bash and Serven grew up “10 minutes apart,” they both said. Their fathers were both integral in running Palm Desert Youth Sports Little League, where both players got their early starts. They became teammates for the first time when Bash was 8, he said. By 10 or 11 they were playing against each other on different travel ball teams. By high school, they were teammates again. Their families were close enough to celebrate the Fourth of July together.
“His dad knows more about cars than I do,” Serven said. “He’s still the person I call if a light comes on in my car.”
After high school, Serven went to Arizona State and then was drafted by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2016 Draft. Bash attended California Baptist, and became a 30th round pick of the Angels in 2019. He joined the Blue Jays organization in 2021, and reached Buffalo for the first time in 2022. That year, Serven made his MLB debut with the Rockies.
Though they hadn’t been on the same field together since 2013, their friendship endured college and pro ball.
“Whenever he’s home in the offseason, I’ll throw bullpens to him,” Bash said.
This winter, Serven was claimed off waivers by Toronto. He and Bash roomed together at Blue Jays camp this spring. Serven made Toronto’s Opening Day roster as Alejandro Kirk’s backup. He arrived in Buffalo for the first time last week.
“It was amazing to get him over here and know that he's going to be a teammate of mine,” Bash said. “Having him back behind the plate with myself on the mound was awesome.”
Serven called the dynamic between pitcher and catcher with so much history, “very unique.” As far as battery mates go, the familiarity level between Bash and Serven is certainly unusual. That’s because they’ve genuinely cared about each other for the majority of their lives.
“I always followed his journey,” Serven said. “He was always like a little brother because he was always a couple of years younger than me and he was a string bean in high school. The last time I played with him, when I was 18, he was probably [120 pounds]. So it's just cool to see his growth, and see how far he's come."
Asked if Bash is a similar pitcher today to when he was 8 years old, Serven laughed. Funny, yeah. But he’s also the only person who’d know.
“He still pounds the zone,” he said. “He’s always thrown strikes. Everything else has gotten a little better. The ball moves a little bit more, moves a little harder. Everything else is different. But he throws strikes.”