Tigers call up Hens' Jeff Frazier

TOLEDO, Ohio - It's always a big day when you receive your first-ever big-league promotion. But in Jeff Frazier's case, it was also his wife's birthday.

Frazier received the news that he was being called up from Toledo to Detroit around 3 o'clock in the afternoon from Hens manager Larry Parrish and hitting coach Leon "Bull" Durham.

"They came out with it and then, like, 'Get ready. You got your call,'" Frazier said. "And then straight from there, it was just... big smile. It was a feeling I've never felt before."

It was a moment he needed to share immediately with the woman he loves.

"I told her happy birthday this morning," he said. "I told her again. I'm like, 'Hey, Happy Birthday!' She goes, 'You already told me this, this morning.' And I'm like, 'No, I got your a nice present' and then she understood from there and it... it was awesome. Another good moment. Today's a good day.

"Ever since I was little, the only thing I wanted to do was step on a professional field and play a professional game and, as far as I'm concerned, my dream has come true and straight from here, everything's gravy from here."

He added, "Today feels like Opening Day again. We're almost done with the season, you know, a month left. It's almost the dog days of August, September, but I feel like it's the first day of spring training."

But he's right in the middle of a pennant race. And the Tigers will be depending on him to show the form that made him the Hens season home-run leader with 23 on the year.

"It's the biggest stage there is in baseball," Frazier said. "It's something I've always wanted to play for and the fact that they're calling me up right now shows that they have confidence in me and I want to just prove to them that I CAN play up there and help them win."

To make room for Frazier, the Tigers designated Jeff Larish for assignment.