Former AWC pitcher Sergio Romo adjusting to life in the big leagues

For his Major League debut, former Arizona Western pitcher and current San Francisco reliever Sergio Romo pitched a perfect inning, striking out two Cleveland Indian batters.

Well, almost everything was perfect about the June 26 debut for the righty.

"It was everything I thought it would be, with the exception I would have thrown the first pitch for a strike" said Romo through a laugh. "It was fun. It was probably the most excited I've ever been to play a game."

But he still got the batter, Shin-Soo Choo, to pop up to left field, then struck out Casey Blake and David Dellucci in the ninth inning of a 4-1 Giants' loss.

Since his call-up from Class AA Connecticut, Romo is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in eight appearances. He has eight strikeouts and three walks in eight innings.

"It's been a little surreal," said Romo, the first Arizona Winter League player (2007 with Yuma) to reach the Major Leagues. "It's a childhood dream and being able to live it is real fun. It's happening so fast I really haven't had a chance to soak it all in. It's fun and I'm glad I'm getting this opportunity and proud to put on that jersey every day."

John Stratton, Romo's coach at AWC, said the 5-11 Romo may not seem like major-league talent on the outside, but has exactly what it takes on the inside to be a great pitcher.

"He's not the prototype pro guy," Stratton said. "He's a guy some people would say 'There's no way he's going to be a pro baller.' He's a little undersized and a little under velocity.

"He was just really competitive, to the point of once in a while being a little arrogant or cocky," he said. "But those are the things you need as a pitcher."

Romo was named MiLB.com's Class A Reliever of the Year in 2007 while pitching for San Jose. He was 6-2 with a 1.36 ERA and struck out 105 batters while walking 15 as San Jose claimed the California League championship.

This year with the Defenders of the Eastern League, he was 1-3 with an ERA of 4.00 at the time of his call-up, striking out 30 and walking seven in 27 innings.

Romo said that his numbers were a little misleading in Class AA - three bad outings caused his ERA to balloon. Still, he said the promotion to big leagues, bypassing Class AAA, was a shock.

"I was a little surprised; I didn't expect it at all," Romo said. "I thought if I threw well enough at the end of the season I'd get a look in the second half. I'm excited to get the opportunity. It doesn't happen too often, but I'm glad it happened to me."

And while most outings have been smooth for Romo in the big leagues - he's mostly pitched with his team trailing or in front by a large margin - he had his worst outing against the Mets on July 10.

Entering the game at Shea Stadium in seventh, Romo allowed a double to David Wright. After he got Carlos Beltran to fly out to shortstop, Fernando Tatis homered to left-center field. He stayed in after the homer and got Carlos Delgado to fly out to center, but after a single to Nick Evans, he was relieved. Eventually, Evans came around to score an unearned run.

"It's no different than if I had not given up any runs," Romo said. "I'm real appreciative of any opportunity I get to play. I don't take that for granted if it goes well or not. I'm thankful every day I get a chance to play this game. At the same time, yeah a little frustration sinks in because I hadn't given up a home run yet and it was a tie ballgame. I didn't want to do wrong alongside my teammates. But I'm at a higher level right now learning how to adjust and forget about outings like that. It's part of the maturity standpoint and being able to be a big leaguer and stay in the big leagues."

Apparently, he learned that lesson. Two days later against the Cubs, he pitched a perfect eighth inning with his team down 7-2, getting the heart of the Cubs' order - Derrek Lee and All-Stars Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto. The Giants tied the in the top of the ninth but lost in 11.

"My job is to get guys out and help the other guys along side me," Romo said. "I just want to compete and prove I can compete at the big league level. Having the opportunity to do so is all I can really ask for."

The Giants return from the All-Star break Friday when they host Milwaukee. Despite being 15 games under .500 (40-55), they are only seven games behind NL West leading Arizona.

Romo isn't sure how long he'll be a part of the Giants and any possible playoff push.

But he said he's going to make sure to make the most of his time.

"For ever how much time I'm in the big leagues, I'm going to enjoy my time," Romo said. "I'm not going get comfortable, because maybe that will be the day I quit working. ... For ever how long (I'm in the big leagues), I'll be more than thankful."