But on June 9 in Baltimore, B.J. Rosenberg was.

He probably would not have been under normal circumstances, but it is hard not to be a bit giddy when it is your major league debut.

A lot of times pitchers make their debuts in more comfortable situations, either up by a healthy margin or trailing so they can ease into the role. But after being called up that morning from Lehigh Valley, Rosenberg was thrust right into the midst of a tight ballgame.

With the score tied at four in the eleventh inning between the Phillies and Orioles, the 26-year-old righty made his first jog from a Big League bullpen. The walkway at Camden Yards hardly made it any easier on his understandably shaky legs.

"It's kind of funny, Baltimore has cobblestone up to our bullpen so it's a long walk on kind of a shaky surface," Rosenberg said. "I was just taking it slow down there and hoping nothing bad happened. My legs were a little bit numb but running out there you have the crowd and warming up hearing the noise from the fans is just an awesome experience."

Rosenberg worked a scoreless eleventh, firing his blazing fastball by Robert Andino before retiring the next two in order. Unfortunately in the 12th, with nobody out and a runner on first, All-Star centerfielder Adam Jones ended the game with a walk-off home run.

Welcome to the Big Leagues.

"I kind of went from being on one of the highest highs to a pretty low low. I never had a situation like that before where I got walked off the field. But after it kind of set in that I was pitching in the Major Leagues and it was my dream that I always wanted to do, it was still really cool."

How could it not be?

Rosenberg, drafted in the 13th round in 2008, posted a 1.00 ERA in 2008 with Williamsport and a 1.18 ERA in 2009 between Lakewood and Reading. The hard-throwing reliever seemed to be on the fast track to Philadelphia.

But 2010 did not treat him as nicely. Rosenberg struggled through two stints on the disabled list with a right lat strain. The first kept him from action for more than a month, and the second kept him from the better part of two. In the limited action that he did see he struggled, allowing 16 earned runs in 27 innings.

"It was rough, not just physically but mentally too. I struggled with it and I finally told them something's going on and got it checked out and it was rough getting back and getting fully healthy," Rosenberg said.

At the time of the injury it was unclear what the future held for the promising young reliever. It remained relatively unclear until this year, when a healthy Rosenberg found his old form. He started the season at Reading, but after five dominant outings in relief he was promoted, for the first time in his career, to Triple-A. Then the bigger call followed.

For three seasons Rosenberg never reached higher than Double-A Reading. It took him less than three months to jump from Reading to his debut in Philadelphia.

"I really wasn't even thinking about it. [Right before they told me] I had no idea. They set me up pretty good for it when they told me so it was a pretty big shock. It was kind of surreal and really awesome," Rosenberg said.

That set up he referred to came in the form of a small joke from manager Ryne Sandberg. Sandberg came into the trainer's room after the game and told Rosenberg he had been spotted in Philadelphia on the Lehigh Valley bullpen cameras eating pizza in the 'pen.

"I was like, 'Nobody's eating pizza,' and he said, 'Are you sure?' He was on the phone with Nichols, the pitching coach, and he said, 'Well, are there cameras in Baltimore?' I kind of looked and said, 'Yea,' and he said, 'Well you can't eat pizza in Baltimore either, you're going up.' "

So there was Rosenberg, in his fifth professional season, after wondering if he would ever make it to The Show, finally making his debut for the Phillies in an extra inning game in Baltimore. He wasn't any less nervous pitching in that scenario, because he was already as nervous as one can be. In fact, the pressure actually helped him.

"It was going to be nerve wracking no matter what, Rosenberg said. "But being in that spot I didn't really have much room for error but I think maybe that kind of calmed me down a little bit knowing that I had to make pitches...I think the adrenaline kind of overcame the nervousness a little bit...unfortunately it ended the way it did but I felt really good."

Although Rosenberg made just three appearances, he took a lot away from his first Big League action.

"Going to the big leagues every one of those hitters are the pretty much the best in the world," Rosenberg said. "But from a pitcher's standpoint, mentally you just have to think about yourself and the catcher and that's the only thing you can control."

"I got to the point where I feel like I was aiming the ball and not being aggressive toward the catcher and the strike zone I was trying to place pitches and be perfect and I just have to get that out of my head and go with the same mindset I go with here."

But it is not all mental. Now that he knows what to expect and what it takes for him to be able to succeed in the majors, he is able to work on some of the physical aspects of his game, such as adding a few off-speed pitches to compliment his high-90's fastball.

"My fastball's my best pitch, but for the past three or four weeks my changeup has come a long way. I'm able to focus on trying to throw it just like my fastball and I've been able to get quite a few strikeouts and swing and misses with it. My slider I'm still working on. I've thrown some the way I really want to and others that have been a little inconsistent."

There is no doubt Rosenberg has a Major League arm. His first trip may have ended sooner than planned, but considering where he was at the start of 2011, coming off an injury filled year at Double-A, it was still a great success.

Now it's about working to get back.

"He'll get some innings to work on those pitches but no question he could be a very successful long man type of guy with his durability and with that fastball," Sandberg said. "That could take him a long way."