Daniel Poncedeleon only threw 15 pitches in the AAA All-Star Game Wednesday. He made the most of them. The Memphis pitcher struck out all three batters he faced, helping the Pacific Coast League team win 12-7 over the International League squad. He fanned Indians prospect Francisco Mejia, whom MLB.com ranks as the No. 15 prospect in baseball, to start off the third inning. Redbirds pitcher Dakota Hudson started the game for the PCL team and allowed one run. Memphis third baseman Patrick Wisdom did not collect a hit in his two trips to the plate. Rays prospect Kean Wong, younger brother of Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong, smacked three hits for the International League. Other notable performances Wednesday • Cardinals No. 29 prospect Ramon Urias had two hits in AA Springfield's loss. • Casey Meisner, MLB.com's No. 24 prospect in the Cardinals' system, struggled for High-A Palm Beach, allowing seven runs in six innings pitched. Four of the runs came in his final inning of work.<doc-sep>Everywhere you looked on Wednesday, there were stars on show at Arm & Hammer Park. For the third time in team history, the Trenton Thunder hosted an All-Star Game. After the 1996 Double A game, and the 2009 Eastern League showcase, the 2018 Eastern League All-Star Game returned to Trenton as part of the 25th anniversary season celebrations. It was not just the players and top prospects on the field, who were there to represent their respective teams, that lit up the stadium. There were ex-players of various sports (Vince Papale, of the Philadelphia Eagles and "Invincible" fame, threw out a first football), but most were from the baseball world. Ken Griffey Sr. and Carlos Pena, of the 2008 American League champion Tampa Bay Rays, were honorary managers. But it was Bernie Williams, the four-time world champion with the Yankees, that stole the pregame show, along with Binghamton Rumble Ponies outfielder Tim Tebow. The Trenton Thunder hosted the Eastern League East vs West All-Star Game at Arm and Hammer Park on 7-11-2018. 24 Gallery: The Trenton Thunder hosted the Eastern League East vs West All-Star Game at Arm and Hammer Park on 7-11-2018. Williams was in attendance to play the National Anthem before the contest, but also to help bring awareness to the rare lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which claimed the life of William's father Bernabe in 2001. After the game, the ninth largest crowd in franchise history helped set a new Guinness World Record for most people blowing a chewing gum bubble simultaneously, as part of the "Breathless Blowout" campaign. "I am involved in trying to raise awareness for the disease that took my dad's life away, IPF," Williams said. "A lot of my connection with this game has to do with that. We are going to honor all the people that are suffering with this disease by trying to break the Guinness World Record for most amount of people blowing a bubble at the same time. "Our website is https://www.breathlessipf.com/, for all the people that think they have the disease, or have it, to give them some information about the disease." Williams got involved with music around the same time he found baseball, and he has continued his musical career long after his time with the Yankees ended. He has played the anthem at other games, but it is never something that is an easy thing for Williams. "It is always hard," Williams said. "There is no opportunity to make it a second time. You have the first chance to make the impression. It has to be perfect, because it is such a recognizable tune. "Obviously the political, social, and cultural attachment that this important song has, you don't want to mess it up. You want to do it perfectly, and as good as your ability may allow you to." The game ended in a 4-4 tie, but the Western Division went down as the winner after a special home run derby. Altoona's Will Craig outscored Reading's Zach Green 305-275 to bring home the title for the Western All-Stars. Tebow spoke four-plus hours before the contest to a large group of media, about his season, which now includes a double in an All-Star Game. He never thought he would end up back in Trenton for the showcase event, but he deserved to be there: Tebow is hitting .270, and has seven multi-hit games since June 1, when his hot streak began. "No sir, not really," Tebow said. "That was never a thought process for me. I think for me, my thought process was just the things I have been working on, and really trying to be able to make some tweaks to really be able to lock in those fundamentals. "I am just trying to improve, and continue to stay focused on the process that I have since I started this endeavor. It is just little things at the plate: hand positions, relaxing, getting your front foot down, different things in the games. "I think it was a great honor, and something that I really appreciated. I appreciate being here with all of these great players, and it is definitely something that I am thankful for, and it means a lot. I will take this in as a great honor." Contact Sean Miller at seanmillertrentontimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheProdigalSean<doc-sep>
Mark Brown/Getty Images With the 2018 Double-A Eastern League All-Star Game being held on Wednesday in Trenton, New Jersey, New York Mets minor leaguer Tim Tebow had a chance to go up against some of the top young prospects in all of baseball. Tebow served as the designated hitter for the Eastern Division: The 30-year-old entered the game hitting .270/.337/.390 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 33 RBI against Double-A pitching with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies this season. Before the game, he received a nice round of applause from the Arm & Hammer Park crowd, via MiLB's Sam Dykstra: Tebow's first at-bat of the night followed a two-run shot by Jan Hernandez. While his ball stayed in the park, the former Heisman Trophy winner hit an opposite-field double off Erie SeaWolves right-hander Beau Burrows, whom MLB.com ranks as the Detroit Tigers' No. 4 prospect and the No. 63 prospect in all of baseball. SportsCenter and ABC 7's Ryan Field tweeted video of the extra-base hit: Video Play Button Videos you might like He was stranded at second as the next batter flied out to end the inning. Tebow stepped to the plate right after the Western Division tied the game with three runs in the top of the fifth. He was unable to help his team respond, as Altoona Curve southpaw Sean Keselica induced a groundout to shortstop. His next at-bat came in the seventh inning, when he flied out on Richmond Flying Squirrels right-hander Dillon McNamara's first offering to end the inning. With the tying run on first in the bottom of the ninth, Tebow struck out after fouling off three pitches against Harrisburg Senators right-hander Derek Self. Trenton Thunder center fielder Trey Amburgey, however, followed up the strikeout with a game-tying double. It was a 4-4 game after nine innings, leading to a hitting competition to decide the game, which the West won. Tebow's mom, Pamela, recently told TMZ Sports that she believes her son is ready for the majors. Perhaps if he can carry the momentum from his first-half performance over into the second half, he could put himself in position for a September call-up.