This year's 2013 Triple-A All-Star Game in Reno, Nev. featured the best minor league professional baseball players facing off against each other.
The game included Andrew Albers. The North Battleford native was a late addition to his AAA team, the Rochester Red Wings, but his dominating season earned him a spot in the game.
His 9-4 record and 3.11 ERA put him among the International League's top pitchers. He was projected to be in AA this season, but injuries throughout the Minnesota Twins organizations catapulted him up the depth chart.
Albers' appearance in the game wasn't long, pitching a single inning. Though, only one pitcher on the team threw more - Chris Bootcheck stayed in the game for two innings.
Albers was part of an impressive team pitching performance. He came in for the fourth inning, the three pitchers prior gave up a combined two earned runs. Albers gave up two singles and one unearned run came in to score. He also registered a strikeout.
His Pacific Coast League counterparts were shut out for the rest of the game as the International League took home the 4-3 victory.
Aces Ballpark was sold out for the game in which the offence came early, rather than often. All three runs for the Pacific Coast League were scored in the first inning. Three of the International League's runs were scored in the second when Tony Sanchez, catcher for the Indianapolis Indians, hit a three-run homerun. The team's other run came in the first inning when Albers' teammate, Chris Colabello, hit an RBI groundout to cash Billy Hamilton.
The all-star appearance adds to an impressive season already for Albers as the 27-year-old works towards getting called up to the Twins.
