NEW YORK -- J.D. Drew felt there were a couple of different times during his career he should have been an All-Star.

Now, he is.

The Red Sox' right fielder was selected to his first All-Star team on Sunday and he seemed quite relieved by the announcement.

When he first arrived at Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the series finale against the Yankees, numerous Red Sox teammates approached him to offer their congratulations.

"It's pretty cool," said Drew. "I'll be pretty fired up when the day rolls around. To get a chance to experience all that stuff will be a lot of fun for me."

Of course, Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who is managing the A.L. All-Stars, was elated with all seven of the Sox' selections, but he felt especially happy for Drew.

"I think he's very excited," said Francona. "I think he plans on enjoying with his children that will mean a lot. He had a chance a few years ago when he was playing with Atlanta, but he didn't make it. So, I think this means more."

Drew was selected on the players, managers and coaches ballots, which made the news even more acceptable.

"That definitely makes it special," he said. "I've been on one of those runs lately where you just try to chip away and help the team win. So for the players to notice it makes it pretty special."

All seven of the Red Sox selections said how cool it was that so many of them were representing their club in the midsummer classic. Drew was no different.

"It's going to be cool," he said. "To be with six of our other guys it'll be fun. It'll give me somebody follow around and make sure I go to the right place. To be an All-Star at some point of your career is really nice."