Inside the Article:
Michael Lorenzen will be the lone representative for the Detroit Tigers in the upcoming 2023 MLB All-Star Game later this month in Seattle. It will be his very first time at the annual event after nearly a decade of playing professional baseball. And as he put it, he didn't believe it at first.
Lorenzen is in his 1st year with the Tigers
Michael Lorenzen, who the Detroit Tigers signed to a one-year contract this past December worth $8.5 million, has posted a 2-6 record with a 4.28 ERA, 20 walks and 62 strikeouts in the 14 starts he's gotten so far (82 innings) in 2023. He'll also be the first Tigers pitcher since Michael Fulmer to make an All-Star Game appearance.
His reaction to having made the All-Star Game is priceless
At first, Lorenzen thought he was having a prank pulled on him when he was informed of the news.
“I'm like, ‘There's no way. This is fishy, but there is no way I made the All-Star Game, like there is absolutely no way.' And then he told me that I did. I kind of broke down. I was like, ‘I'm a mid-4, how did I make the All-Star team?' But it was awesome.”
He even thought there was a chance that he was being traded, hence his being called into manager A.J. Hinch‘s office.
“He tried to hide it a little bit, that he was going to break the news,” he said. “I'm like, ‘Did I get traded or something?' But then he was telling me when I was going to start.”
Hinch would then admit that it was a “cool” moment to inform Lorenzen that he was on his way to his very first career All-Star Game.
“He came here to get better, and he did, and he gets rewarded,” Hinch said. “In his ninth year in the big leagues, to tell somebody he gets to be a first-time All-Star, that was an emotional meeting and a really cool moment for me, the pitching department and the entire organization. I'm really glad he's ours.”
Lorenzen was also quick to give credit to other Detroit Tigers players, believing they shouldn't be lost in the conversation.
“We have a few guys in here that I think are deserving of being an All-Star,” Lorenzen said. “You wish that they'd get the credit that they deserve.”
“It's such an honor to be a part of it,” Lorenzen said. “It's such a small selection of people. It's one thing to make it to the big leagues, but it's another thing to be good when you make it. For me, that's always been a dream come true, not just to make it, but to be good.”
Key Points
- Michael Lorenzen is Detroits' lone representative at the MLB All-Star Game this year
- At first, he didn't believe the news
- Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was happy to deliver the good news to Lorenzen
- Lorenzen explained it was an honor while also giving credit to his teammates
Wrapping It Up
This year's All-Star game will take place on July 11 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Regardless of whether or not Lorenzen remains with the Tigers beyond this year's Trade Deadline or the offseason, we're happy to see the veteran pitcher get rewarded with this honor. And we're looking forward to seeing his next start on the mound later this week against the struggling Oakland Athletics, who come to Comerica Park for a three-game series.
