If you asked Carson Fulmer about his confidence on, say, Aug. 22, 2017, the answer he would have given would differ greatly from the answer he gave before SoxFest some five months later.
Aug. 22 was the day Fulmer was optioned back to Triple-A Charlotte. It was the day after his first major league appearance of the season went very, very poorly.
Fulmer made his first major league start for the White Sox, but things went bad — and quickly. He faced only 12 batters. Even worse, he recorded only four outs.
Six runs allowed — all earned — including a pair of home runs to the Minnesota Twins, and Fulmer’s second major league stint lasted just hours.