North Battleford’s own Andrew Albers got the call to the Big Leagues from the Toronto Blue Jays Friday morning, and joined the team in Cleveland for the opening game of their three-game series against the Indians.
It was a short stay, however.
Albers was optioned back to AAA Buffalo at the conclusion of the game, a 9-4 loss. He did get into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after Jays starter Mark Buehrle was pulled.
“I’d like to have one pitch back,” Albers said of his outing Friday night from Durham, NC. “Unfortunately I came in, made a bad 0-1 pitch and gave up a three-run homer to the first guy I faced. Just have to be better than that early on but other than that it was a good outing. It’s just hard to feel good about it after giving up a three-run home run.”
Albers pitched 2.2 innings, giving up one hit and two walks.
He says while he was hoping to be called up to the Majors sooner rather than later, he wasn’t expecting it this early in the season.
“I was actually pleasantly surprised by it,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys down here throwing well and up there they’re having some troubles just getting innings.”
He barely had time to process the fact he was being called up.
“It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I got a call at night and was on the road early in the morning,” he said.
While he would have liked to spend more than one day with the Blue Jays, it’s out of his control.
“I wasn’t really sure what the deal was going to be,” he admitted. “They told me they were going to use me out of the bullpen. If the game went a little bit different I might have been up there for a few more days. I threw an extended amount of innings and they needed someone fresh the next day so that’s just part of the deal.”
Despite meeting his Blue Jays teammates during spring training, he says he tries to tread lightly in the club house.
“You just try to fit in and keep your nose clean,” he said. “You don’t want to be the loud guy right off the bat when you don’t know the guys very well. You just get yourself ready to play and everyone respects that.”
Albers says he didn’t receive any advice when he was told he was being sent back to Buffalo, but he knows what the situation is.
“There’s possibilities of being called up in the future. It’ll all depend on how the season goes and how healthy guys are. That’s what it comes down to when you’re in AAA, it depends on whether or not you’re fresh when they need a guy and things of that nature,” he said.
As for his season with the Buffalo Bisons, Albers says while the wins and losses don’t look so good, he feels comfortable with the way things are going.
“I’ve been throwing well. Unfortunately the results haven’t quite been there as far as wins, but I feel good about most of my outings and I feel like I’m throwing the ball pretty well. Hopefully I can continue to build on the success I’ve had early and just keep it going,” he said.
Albers has a 1-4 record with Buffalo so far, but his ERA is just 2.86. He pitched Tuesday night against the Bulls, going five innings giving up one run.
