Jimenez flawless in brief All-Star appearance

WASHINGTON -- Joe Jiménez's first career All-Star appearance was short, but sweet. Jimenez faced just one batter during Tuesday night's All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park, striking out Brandon Crawford of the Giants after being called on with two outs in the fourth.
"I'm supposed to do that in that situation, because that's why they brought me in," Jimenez said. "So like I said, I enjoyed it, and I had fun."
It didn't come easy though, as Crawford worked Jimenez for a full count and eight pitches before going down. After Jimenez got San Francisco's shortstop to foul off a slider and a fastball with two strikes, he went back to the slider -- his go-to strikeout pitch -- to get Crawford looking and preserve the AL's 2-1 lead.

The American League went on to win, 8-6, in 10 innings after scoring three runs in the top of the 10th. The 23-year-old Jimenez has a bright future, no matter where his playing career takes him.
"Just being around the guys, being around these great players, they're basically the best players in the game right now," Jimenez said of his first All-Star Game appearance. "So just being here and being in the clubhouse and on the field with them is just great."
Jimenez was the lone Tigers player in this year's Midsummer Classic, selected after a strong first half as the club's setup man. He was 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA entering the break, and struck out 48 batters over 43 innings. His 46 appearances were two shy of the American League lead.
"I feel proud," Jimenez said. "I feel proud to represent Detroit, and I hope I can continue next year and the years to come."