MINNEAPOLIS -- Michael Fulmer, still soaked and reeking of beer after being doused in postgame celebration with his Detroit Tigers teammates, was simply ecstatic after a 9-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins in his MLB debut.

“It was exactly what I dreamt of,” he said.

The 23-year-old pitcher, the top-ranked prospect in the Tigers organization, earned the first win of his major league career with an impressive outing in which he limited the Twins to two runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts in five innings pitched.

The young flamethrower praised the game-calling of catcher Bobby Wilson and thanked his teammates for the early 3-0 cushion with which he entered the game to face the top of the Twins lineup. The right-hander could not have drawn it up any better.

“I can’t really give enough credit to Bobby behind the plate. I basically relied on him quite a bit ... everything worked out. We got a team 'W' and you can’t argue with a three-run head start before you even take the mound, so I was very pleased with the way it went," Fulmer said. "I’m just really on top of the world right now."

Fulmer did not look like a rookie making his debut as he made a mark early in the game. After Fulmer retired Danny Santana for the first out, Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos trotted over to provide some encouragement. That first batter is always the hardest, Castellanos told him, and Fulmer took comfort in that. He employed that trademark wipeout slider in facing Brian Dozier next, fanning him with an 89 mph version to record his first strikeout.

“It’s pretty good. You can go to it anytime, too,” Wilson said of that Fulmer weapon. “We can use it 3-2 if we have to; we can use it early. He’s got a good feel for it. Like I said, it made it easier for him.”

Fulmer ran into trouble in the fourth, when he gave up three consecutive hits, but he kept the damage to one run. Wilson said he had Fulmer, who relied heavily on his fastball and slider for the first three innings, work his changeup in more during the fourth and fifth to keep hitters honest.

“They’re big league hitters and eventually they catch up to it," Wilson said. "They know this guy is gonna throw a fastball so I have to be ready, so now we go a little bit softer with him."

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus stressed that the development of that third pitch will be crucial for Fulmer moving forward, but was more than pleased with how he handled himself in his debut. Ausmus felt Fulmer tired a bit at the end -- he gave up another run in the fifth -- but was impressive in his poise on the mound.

“He did a great job,” Ausmus said. “He did exactly what we wanted him to do.”

Fulmer’s teammates, as evidenced by the sudsy celebration that followed the victory, were thrilled to see him excel in his first taste of the show.

“That’s all I want to do is win for him, so he can bring his first strikeout to his parents, you know, and let them know, ‘Thank you for putting me in this situation’,” Wilson said. “It was all about him today.”