New Rangers prospect Patton retires batter in Triple-A All-Star Game
Just hours after being traded to the Texas Rangers, Spencer Patton pitched in the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina, and retired the only batter he faced in the bottom of the second inning.
Patton, 26, was acquired by the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon in a trade that sent veteran reliever Jason Frasor to Kansas City. This year marks Patton's third full season of pro ball after the Royals took him in the 24th round of the 2011 First-Player Draft.
Pitching for the Pacific Coast League All Stars, Patton entered the game with the PCL trailing the International League All-Stars 4-0 with two on and two out in the bottom of the second.
The Illinois native and product of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville toed the rubber to face IL first baseman Jesus Aguilar, a 24-year-old out of Venezuela who plays for Columbus, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
Patton struck out Aguilar, who made his Major League debut in May for the Tribe, on five pitches to end the inning, the only batter he would face.
Prior to the trade, Patton, who will be assigned to Triple-A Round Rock at least for the time being, was closing for the Royals' Triple-A affiliate in Omaha. With the Storm Chasers, he had made 34 appearances and had finished 27 games with a 4-3 record and 14 saves. Opposing hitters were batting just .161 against him.
Patton's new Round Rock teammate, Jared Hoying, entered the game for the PCL contingent in the bottom of the sixth, replacing Shane Peterson, an outfielder for Sacramento, the top affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
In 88 games with Round Rock this season, Hoying, 25, a 10th-round pick out of the University of Toledo in the 2010 draft, was hitting .258 with 15 HR and 50 RBI.
Hoying went 0-for-2. His first plate appearance came in the top of the seventh and he struck out on three pitches against Juan Jaime, the hard-throwing right-handed closer for Gwinnett, the top affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
His second plate appearance came in the top of the ninth when with a runner on, Hoying grounded out to Aguilar for the second out of the inning.
Patton will make his Round Rock debut this weekend as the Iowa Cubs visit Dell Diamond.
The IL All-Stars prevailed 7-3.
