For Phillies' Brown, not just another day at ballpark

Searching for tranquillity hours before his major-league debut Wednesday night, Domonic Brown sat facing his locker in the Phillies' clubhouse.

It didn't help much. One by one, players greeted him. Marketing employees introduced themselves. Clubhouse attendants frequently visited, dropping off brand-new gear for the top prospect turned rookie big-leaguer overnight.

Finally, as batting practice was minutes from beginning and the clubhouse emptied, he could relax. Brown picked up his red Phillies cap and took a long look at it. He inspected each bat placed in his locker and nodded in approval.

Then injured centerfielder Shane Victorino, the man Brown replaced on the roster, patted him on the back.

"No pressure," Victorino said. Brown smiled.

In the second inning, the 22-year-old came to bat in front of a standing ovation at Citizens Bank Park. He stepped in, shook his head, and smiled again. His first swing was at the third pitch he saw from Arizona righthander Edwin Jackson, a hanging, 86 m.p.h. change-up. The ball smacked the right-field wall, three feet shy of a two-run home run.

Brown was running so hard he nearly overslid second base. He settled for an RBI double. The fans stood and cheered between innings when Brown returned to his spot in right field.

No pressure, right?

"Of course, there's pressure there," Brown said. "I'm trying to keep that in the back of my mind like I've been doing all year."

Brown, a 20th-round pick in the 2006 draft, came to Philadelphia with enormous expectations. For the last year, he was the untouchable in the Phillies' system, the one player Ruben Amaro Jr. would not trade for Roy Halladay. ("I'm glad they didn't trade him," Halladay said.) A few weeks ago, Baseball America rated Brown as the best prospect in the minors.

He did not disappoint. Brown was 2 for 3 with the run-scoring double, a single and a sacrifice fly, two runs batted in and two runs scored.

"A couple of bombs would have been nice," Brown said with a smirk. "But no, it went great."

It's possible he will spend the remainder of the season with the Phillies. Victorino, who is out with a left abdominal strain, could miss at least three weeks. On Sept. 1, rosters expand to 40 and the Phillies could conceivably keep Brown the entire time.

Manager Charlie Manuel said he would ease Brown into the lineup, but Brown will almost certainly play on a regular basis. (Manuel said before the game he would rest Brown against Arizona's lefthanded starter Joe Saunders on Thursday. Afterward, he was already easing off that proclamation.) Jayson Werth will shift to center in Victorino's absence with Brown filling right.

"I think he can hit in the middle of the order," Manuel said of Brown. "It's just a matter of time."

Between double-A Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley, Brown hit .327 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs in 93 games. The lefthanded hitter's power came last - he hit just 14 home runs in 106 minor-league games last season.

Considering Brown didn't devote his full attention to baseball until 2006, after passing up a football scholarship to Miami, there is still a lot of room for growth.

"It looks like he loves to play the game," said a National League scout who had seen Brown in the minors. "It's rare to find a guy who has his tools and his work ethic."

Before the game Wednesday, Brown said he was nervous. But, he said, that always happens - even in the minor leagues. As a major leaguer, he wasn't sure what his biggest challenge would be.

"I really don't know," Brown said. "I'm going out here fresh. I haven't done anything yet. I say that all the time. The prospect thing, that's all garbage. When you get here, those numbers don't mean anything."

The first person Brown saw when he came into the clubhouse was Ryan Howard, who Brown said has acted as a "big brother" since spring training. Before Brown even arrived, Howard wondered aloud if he would be in the starting lineup.

Brown found out he would be a Phillie on Wednesday when Lehigh Valley manager Dave Huppert told him the news shortly after noon.

"I almost passed out," Brown said.

He began the day at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, working a youth clinic. During the hourlong ride to South Philly, he said he envisioned what it would be like stepping into the Phillies' clubhouse. Earlier in the season, he had texted Atlanta phenom Jason Heyward and Florida rookie Mike Stanton asking about what to expect in the majors. But they couldn't tell him, Brown said. He had to experience it himself.

From the very beginning of the season, Brown said he was ready for it.

"I felt that all year," he said. "I'm very confident in myself. I've set big goals. It was just waiting for Ruben and those guys to make the call."

When he arrived, most of the Phillies stayed away to let the rookie breathe. Backup catcher Brian Schneider, positioned a few lockers down from Brown, grabbed a bag of cheese doodles, sat back, and watched Brown.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound rookie explored the clubhouse. He picked up a Jimmy Rollins bat and swung it a few times. He borrowed a pair of sunglasses from Cody Ransom, a teammate at Lehigh Valley, and asked for directions to the kitchen for dinner.

"I think it will be a very easy transition," Howard said.

Once Brown left the clubhouse, Howard noticed highlights playing on a TV in the room. He stood up to get a closer look just as a triple-A Brown home run sailed over the center-field fence.

"Mr. Brown," Howard said, "is going to be just fine."