DETROIT (WXYZ) -- Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer will be Detroit's representative for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game in Miami.
This is Fulmer's first All-Star selection. He currently holds a 7-6 record with a 3.19 ERA in 2017.
"It's one of the nice things of the job to be able to tell someone that they're going to the All-Star Game, especially when it's their first one," manager Brad Ausmus said Sunday at Comerica Park.
Fulmer, who was named the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year, said he never could have dreamed of the career accolades he's already received.
"It's a blessing, it truly is," said Fulmer. "To have the respect and votes from my peers and coaches, analysts, and whoever voted, it's an honor to be able to represent the Tigers."
Ausmus pointed to Fulmer's consistency when asked what earned him a spot on the All-Star team.
"He's been by far our most consistent pitcher," Ausmus said. "Last year I thought he kind of deserved to go, but he wasn't a well-known name. This year, everyone in baseball knows who he is after his rookie season, and he's picked up right where he left off."
Fulmer admitted the All-Star selection was truly a surprise.
"I just don't think about stuff like that," Fulmer said with a smile. "I think about winning games, think about my next start, which I still have two more before the break, so gotta think about those, but I just never saw myself in that situation."
Fulmer said his wife Kelsey was the only one he told ahead of time, joking that he didn't trust his parents or friends to not spoil the surprise.
"I feel like everybody else in my family would let it loose before it was supposed to be. I guess I can say I trust my wife."
The 2017 All-Star Game will be played Tuesday, July 11 at Marlins Park.
