"A dream come true," Trout said. "I can't explain how I got any sleep. It's a great feeling. It's where you want to be - since I was a kid."
Trout is, well, still a kid at 19.
The Inquirer's 2009 South Jersey player of the year out of Millville High, Trout became the youngest player to debut in the major leagues since Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez in 2005.
And it came with the pressure of being the consensus top prospect in the game because of a combination of power and speed that some have likened to Mickey Mantle.
So it was understandable that Trout had jitters. But, he said, "After my first at-bat, I was better."
Leftfielder Vernon Wells and rightfielder Torii Hunter helped ease the pressure when they took a couple of fly balls away from Trout in a playful initiation.
"We tried our best not to let him have any," Hunter joked. "You've got to earn your way catching balls in our outfield."
Trout went 0 for 3 with two fly balls and a grounder to short, but his highlight was a running catch of a Franklin Gutierrez drive.
That certainly got the attention of manager Mike Scioscia.
"Great closing speed, great route, great jump and he got to a ball that not many centerfielders can get to, and he got to it with ease" Scioscia said.
Scioscia also noticed Trout studying spray charts of Seattle hitters in the dugout.
"That shows a level of maturity that a player understands the defensive aspect," Scioscia said.
Trout understands that his stay with the big club will likely end when Peter Bourjos returns from a hamstring injury. Trout will soak up as much as he can, both from the field and from the corner locker he was given next to fellow rookie Mark Trumbo.
On Saturday, Trout was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was in the big leagues.
"It still hasn't sunk in yet," he said.
But he's also approaching it like he always has.
"[Getting called up] was definitely a surprise to me, but you've got to expect anything. That's the way I look it at: Just try to win every night and have fun."
