Detroit Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer made his first start since September of 2018 tonight in Detroit's home opener against the Kansas City Royals. And though he's being described as an “opener” pitcher by the Tigers, he only played 2.2 innings tonight.
He surrendered three home runs to the Royals and was replaced by Kyle Funkhouser, making his MLB debut in the 3rd inning.
His final stat line for today: 47 pitches, five hits, four earned runs, and two strikeouts.
Here's hoping his next outing goes better!
BONUS CONTENT: Carson Fulmer, who grew up a Tigers fan, thankful for opportunity:
It isn't often that an athlete gets to live out the childhood dream of suiting up for his favorite team, but that's the opportunity that new Detroit Tigers pitcher Carson Fulmer has been afforded after he was claimmd by the team yesterday via waivers.
He was originally selected 8th overall by the Chicago White Sox in 2015 after earning numerous accolades at Vanderbilt, including SEC Pitcher of the Year and National Pitcher of the Year. However, his 6.56 ERA spanned over six years within the organization wasn't what he envisioned.
After being designated for assignment, the Tigers swooped in – and he's grateful for the opportunity.
“The organization really believes in me to go out there and help us win,” Fulmer said Sunday. “I’m really looking forward to this, going to be really, really good for me. Very thankful to have the opportunity to pitch for this organization.”
You can excuse Fulmer for his excitement at getting to join the team he grew up watching at Spring Training at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida where he hails from.
“It's definitely something special to be able to put on these colors and rep an organization that has such a great history,” Fulmer said. “I'm looking forward to being here for a while.”
