ROBINSON LOVING LIFE IN THE BIG LEAGUES

Kerry Robinson is finally living the life of a major-league baseball player -- and he's loving every minute of it.

Robinson, a former Southeast Missouri State University standout, was called up to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays late Friday night and joined the team Saturday.

He did not see any action in the Devil Rays' first four games since being promoted but finally played Tuesday night in a loss at Boston. Robinson went to left field in the sixth inning and wound up grounding out in his only plate appearance.

"I'm having a lot of fun so far. It's unbelievable, almost hard to explain," he said from his hotel room in Boston a short time before Wednesday night's game with the Red Sox. "Everything is first class all the way.

"This is definitely a dream come true for me. I said in my high school yearbook that my dream was to one day play major league baseball. I've finally made it here. I've been dreaming of this since I was playing little league."

Robinson, in his fourth season of professional baseball, played with the Durham Bulls Friday night as they were eliminated in the final game of the Triple A playoffs semifinal series, thus falling one win short of making the Triple A World Series.

Robinson said he was initially disappointed that the Bulls' season had come to a close -- until about 20 minutes later, when he received the news he had been dreaming of.

"My manager called me into his office and said congratulations, I'd been called up," he said. "I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. I didn't want to look too happy, because there are a lot of veteran guys around our locker room and I didn't want to show them up. But I was really excited."

It didn't take Robinson, who is from St. Louis, long to start making plenty of long-distance phone calls.

Said Robinson, "I called my parents first. My mom wasn't there and my dad answered the phone. He was really excited. Then I called my fiance. She couldn't believe it. Then I called (Southeast) coach (Mark) Hogan. And then I started calling friends. I guess I called almost everybody."

Robinson said his first major-league appearance Tuesday night at Fenway Park was quite an experience.

"I went to left field in front of the Green Monster. That was something," he said, adding with a laugh. "Then I came up to bat. I always thought, if I ever got to the big leagues, I have to swing at the first pitch. You never know, I might hit a home run, and somebody homering in his first at-bat hasn't been done much before.

"I'm facing a lefty, and I'm a lefty. I missed the first pitch. It went to a 1-2 count, then I hit a soft grounder to third base. It was a close play and I thought I beat it out, but the umpired called me out. Welcome to the big leagues."

Robinson batted .385 for Southeast in 1995, then was drafted in the 34th round by St. Louis. He excelled during three seasons in the Cardinals' farm system before being taken by Tampa Bay in the expansion draft.

Robinson began this year in Double A but was soon promoted to Triple A and wound up batting .302 with Durham.

"I thought all along I had a good chance to get called up," he said. "That's what I was shooting for and it happened."

With the end of the season just a few days away, Robinson plans on savoring every moment of his first -- but hopefully not only -- major-league experience. After leaving Boston, the Devil Rays will close out the season with a series against the Yankees in New York.

"Starting off my big league career on the road in historic stadiums like Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. It doesn't get any better than that," Robinson said.

Robinson's goal is to soak up all he can this week and use it as a springboard into trying to make the Devil Rays' major-league roster right out of spring training next year.

"Being called up shows me they (the Devil Rays) are really high on me, which is exciting," he said. "I'm hoping to get a fair shot in spring training next year. My goal is to make the team right there and not wait until the end."