Niagara Gazette — Players from the International League and Pacific Coast League all-star teams attended a special luncheon Wednesday afternoon at the Adams Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo, wrapping up a series of special events designed to lead up to Wednesday night’s Triple-A All-Star Game at Coca-Cola Field.

The players’ week started Monday with their arrival in Buffalo and the Home Run Derby at Coca-Cola Field. Tuesday morning the players and team executives took a day trip to visit Niagara Falls before heading back to the field for afternoon workouts. At night, they were treated to an introductory gala at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.

The luncheon was highlighted by Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, who served as keynote speaker. Seaver, who was an eight-time all-star and three-time Cy Young winner during his 20-year professional career, was boisterous in his speech, drawing laughs from the crowd as he reminisced on his career and talked about fellow Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who is serving as an assistant coach for the PCL squad.

He also spoke on the importance of the game while meeting with the media prior to the luncheon.

“It’s to give them the opportunity to have the thrill of excellence (and) go to that all-star game because of the excellence that you bring to the playing field,” Seaver said.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown also spoke at the luncheon and took the time to mention the importance of the events leading up to the All-Star Game.

“Two years ago,” Brown said, “when (the Minor League Baseball executives) contacted me about hosting the game, they wanted to make sure we could provide more than a venue for competition. They wanted to make sure we could host an experience for the athletes.”

This marks the second time Buffalo has hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game and the first since the game’s inaugural showing 25 years ago.

Pacific Coast blanks International Stars, 3-0

Kansas City Royals prospect Wil Myers drove in one run and scored another to lead the Pacific Coast League to a 3-0 win over the International League in the Triple-A All-Star game Wednesday night.

Myers finished with a pair of hits for his second impressive All-Star showing in four days. The 21-year-old outfielder had three RBIs on Sunday in the Futures Game in Kansas City, a showcase for top prospects leading up to Baseball’s All-Star Game.

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Myers was selected Star of Stars for the Pacific Coast League, which snapped a three-game losing streak. The PCL has won seven of the 15 games played under the interleague format.

Buffalo Bisons pitcher Matt Harvey, a New York Mets prospect, worked two shutout innings in front of the hometown fans. He retired six of his seven batters to earn the Star of Stars award for the International League.

The game was played before a sellout crowd of 18,025 in its return to Buffalo, site of the first Triple-A All-Star game in 1988. The city has recorded two of the three biggest crowds in the game’s history.

The shutout was the fifth in the event’s 25-game history and the second in a row. The IL won 3-0 in 2011.

Myers, currently with the Omaha Storm Chasers, singled home a run in the first inning to put the PCL up 2-0. He led off the fourth with a double and scored on an RBI double by Tim Federowicz of the Albuquerque Isotopes in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ system.

Mike Hessman of Oklahoma City (Houston Astros) drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly.

PCL pitchers combined to allow five hits while striking out 11. International League hurlers also fanned 11.