It was only fitting that the American Association All-Star game that was hosted by the St. Paul Saints was started by a Saints pitcher, as Mark hamburger got the start for the North side. He wasn't the only Saint to be in the starting lineup, as center fielder Alonzo Harris and second baseman Tony Thomas also were in the starting lineup.

Hamburger only went one inning, so that manager Steve Montgomery would be able to get all of the players in the game. It was the same for the South team, as manager Pete Incaviglia limited his pitchers to just one inning, although in the later stages of the game he was removing pitchers after just one batter.

North strikes first

The North got the scoring started in the first inning when Harris led off with a walk. He advanced to thirds when Nate Samson singled to left field. After Keury De La Cruz walked to load the bases, Curt Smith picked up the most painful RBI of his career, as he was hit by a pitch, allowing Harris to score and giving the North a 1-0 lead.

A general view of the game from right field. (St. Paul Saints/Facebook)

David Rohm stepped up a few batters later and doubled to left field to score Samson and De La Cruz, putting the North up 3-0.

Neither side was able to score again until the fourth inning, when the North again put runs on the board, as Willie Cabrera led off with a walk. After Rohm singled, Jose Gonzalez singled to score Cabrera. Samson then stepped up and singled to score Gonzalez and make it a 5-0 lead.

South finally scores a run

The South finally got on the board in the sixth when Burt Reynolds led off with a single. He came around to score a few batters later when Devon Rodriguez singled to center field to get the South on the board, although that would be all they would get.

After that, both pitching staffs were lights out, with the exception of one run the North got in the seventh inning, as the North went on to win a 6-1 ballgame. Rohm was named as the game's MVP after his 2-4 performance that saw him pick up two runs batted in. 

The regular season resumes on Wednesday evening when the Sioux City Explorers travel to Sioux Falls to face the Canaries. The rest of the league will resume on Thursday, highlighted by the Saints hosting the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks in the first of a three-game set.

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About the author
Stevie Larson
NASCAR Editor, Minnesota sports fan. Contact: [email protected]