Petagine seeks sudden impact

Roberto Petagine waited seven years -- and covered a lot of ground -- in anticipation of this.

The 34-year-old hadn't played in the majors since 1998 with Cincinnati before last week, when he was called up from Pawtucket to fill in for John Olerud (hamstring) as the Red Sox' backup first baseman.

Although he didn't make an immediate big splash (he hit into a double play in his first Sox at-bat Thursday against the Royals and was 1 for 9 entering last night), his hit was a big one, a three-run double in Sunday's 11-7 win over the Twins. He added a two-out RBI single in the Sox' four-run first inning last night against Texas.

''I'm feeling very good to be here in the major leagues on a great team. I'm very proud to be here," Petagine said. ''I'm doing the best I can for the team, as a pinch hitter, on defense, offense. I'm going to do my best here."

But even Petagine's best probably won't be enough to keep him in Boston for long. Olerud said before last night's game that his hamstring feels better every day, and he went on the disabled list in the midst of a mini-hot streak (5 for 12, 2 home runs, 8 RBIs in a three-game series vs. Minnesota July 29-31).

So is Petagine thinking about a return to Pawtucket, where he was hitting .327 with 20 homers and 69 RBIs in 74 games? ''It's not even a question," Petagine said. ''I'm taking it day by day."

The son of a Venezuelan mother and an Italian father, Petagine entered the Astros minor league system in 1990 and waited four years to make his major league debut. He spent the next five years bouncing from Triple A to the majors -- with the Astros, Padres, Mets, and Reds -- before leaving American baseball behind.

In December 1999, the Reds sold Petagine to the Yomiuri Giants (the same team Gabe Kapler played with earlier this year). He quickly became a star in Japan, nearly matching the Yankees' Hideki Matsui as the league's top power hitter. From 1999-2002, when both Petagine and Matsui played in Japan, Petagine hit 160 home runs and collected 429 RBIs, while Matsui had 170 long balls and drove in 414 runs. In Petagine's six-year Japanese career, he averaged .317, with a .446 on-base percentage. While he hasn't matched that production in his brief stay with the Sox, Petagine has at least opened some eyes.

''That hit the other night [against Minnesota] was a huge hit with the bases loaded," Olerud said. ''When you get called up -- I mean, he's putting up some unbelievable numbers in Triple A -- when you get up you really tend to press a little bit. You want to make a big impact right away. I'm sure he'd like to be swinging the bat better, but I think he's doing a great job."