DARNELL MCDONALD

McDonald makes instant impact in debut
After hitting game-tying homer, outfielder rips walk-off single


For more than 12 years, Darnell McDonald has been riding busses in the Minor Leagues. Sure, there have been some proverbial cups of coffee along the way, including a 17-game stretch with the Orioles in 2004, a four-game stint with the Twins in '07 and even a 47-game stay with the Reds last year.

But when the Red Sox asked McDonald to fly from Rochester, N.Y., (where Triple-A Pawtucket was playing) to Boston on Tuesday in the event that they might need to put him on the roster, how was he supposed to know it would evolve into the most storybook evening of his career?