IL1 Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Three IronPigs Selected for 2009 All-Star Game

Published on July 2, 2009 under International League (IL1)
Lehigh Valley IronPigs News Release


(Allentown, PA) - Rosters for the 2009 Triple-A All-Star Game were announced Wednesday and for the second consecutive year, three Lehigh Valley IronPigs were selected to participate in the contest. Representing the second class of IronPigs at the Midsummer Classic will be RHP Andrew Carpenter, INF Mike Cervenak and 1B Andy Tracy. The trio will join a squad of International League standouts that will battle the Pacific Coast League's best in the 22nd annual Triple-A All-Star Game, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 15 in Portland, Ore. First-pitch is tabbed for 7:05 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time and can be seen live on ESPN2.

Andrew Carpenter, 24, is enjoying a tremendous first full season in the International League and currently ranks among the league leaders in wins (T-4th, 7) and ERA (10th, 2.75). The Vacaville, Calif. native has gone an impressive 7-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 14 games and 13 starts with the IronPigs to begin the year. Earlier this season, Carpenter earned a rain-shortened win in his first-ever Major League start at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

The youngster made his Triple-A debut last season upon receiving a late-season promotion to Lehigh Valley and made one appearance -- limiting Pawtucket to just two runs in seven innings in a starter's role at McCoy Stadium. A former second-round selection in 2006, Carpenter made his Major League debut against the New York Mets 8/27/08 with a scoreless inning of relief. Carpenter was also an All-Star with Clearwater in 2007 in the midst of a league-best 17 win season with the Threshers.

Mike Cervenak has enjoyed another prodigious offensive campaign despite suffering a broken wrist that sidelined the slugger for 25 days earlier this season. A native of Trenton, Mich., Cervenak currently leads the IronPigs with 63 hits and is batting .299 with 5 home runs and 37 RBI. The 31-year-old will be making his second Triple-A All-Star appearance, having played in the 2005 contest while with Fresno. Last year, he enjoyed one of the top offensive seasons in the circuit with Lehigh Valley, hitting .311 with 10 home runs and 66 RBI in 115 games. The 33-year-old was named an International League All-Star in 2008 but did not play due to his first-ever Major League call-up on July 10 to Philadelphia.

Andy Tracy returns to the Triple-A All-Star for the first time since 2000 following a torrid month of June, during which the slugger hit .302 with 6 home runs and 24 RBI while leading the IronPigs to their best month in the franchise history (18-11). He also scored 25 runs, belted 10 doubles and was issued 18 walks during his prolific June play. Tracy, 35, ranks among the league leaders in a handful of categories, including home runs (T-2nd, 14), RBI (2nd, 54), extra-base hits (T-4th, 32) and runs scored (T-3rd, 47). The Bowling Green, Ohio, native had not played in the Major Leagues since 2004 before being rewarded for his fine play with a promotion last year to the eventual World Champion Phillies.

Cervenak and Tracy are among eight members of the 2009 IL All-Star team that will be making a return trip to the Triple-A All-Star Game. Complete All-Star rosters for both the International League and the Pacific Coast League can be viewed at ironpigsbaseball.com

In 2008, Cervenak was selected for the IL squad along with LHP Brian Mazone and C Jason Jaramillo.

The International League looks to rebound from a disappointing 6-5 loss in the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game, which broke a two-year winning streak over the Pacific Coast League. The PCL now owns a 6-5 advantage in the 11 years since the game changed to the current IL vs. PCL format. The winning League this season will once again earn the right to have its champion play as the "home team" at the Bricktown Showdown Triple-A Championship Game in Oklahoma City this September.

Additional information about the 2009 Triple-A All-Star Game and its festivities can be found on the official websites of the host Portland Beavers (portlandbeavers.com), the International League (www.ilbaseball.com) and the Pacific Coast League (www.pclbaseball.com). Coca-Cola Park will be the site of the Triple-A All-Star Game in 2010.

Single-game tickets, mini-plan packages and group tickets for all IronPigs home games presented by Capital BlueCross, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office, online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by calling (610) 841-PIGS.

Check out the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from July 2, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central