"Everybody's so proud of him," A.J. Hinch said of Zach McKinstry. "Rewarding moment for me as a manager, but more importantly for Z-Mac as a player."

The Tigers have been one of the surprise stories of the first half of the season. After going 86-76 and tying for second in the AL Central last season, they are off to a 59-35 start even after a 7-3 loss to the Rays in their series finale Wednesday night.

Zach McKinstry has always been self-aware. Aware of the fact he was a 33rd-round draft pick out of Central Michigan, which before now had only produced one other MLB All-Star (outfielder Tom Tresh, who represented the Yankees in 1962 and 1963).