01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, May 16, 2004

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

TORONTO -- To call the last 24 hours a whirlwind for Kevin Youkilis would be an understatement.

Friday afternoon, while in Charlotte N.C. with the Pawtucket Red Sox, he was told my manager Buddy Bailey that he was being promoted to Boston. Third baseman Bill Mueller had some inflammation of the right knee and the Sox wanted some insurance to get them through the weekend.

Youkilis grabbed his passport and arrived in Toronto late Friday night, but didn't report to the ballpark since the Sox wanted to see how Mueller progressed. When, after Friday's game was over and Mueller was not improved, the Sox decided to activate him and option lefty pitcher Mark Malaska.

Youkilis' parents -- Mike and Carolyn -- flew up yesterday from Cincinnati and were seated two rows behind the Red Sox dugout, perfectly positioned to watch their son make his major league debut.

After Youkilis popped to short in his first at-bat in the second inning, he drove a 2-and-1 changeup down the line in the fourth for his first major league homer.

"He may tell you differently," said manager Terry Francona after the Sox' 4-0 win, "but I would imagine his feet haven't touched the ground yet. He can say what he wants, but your first day in the big leagues is like no other. As a young kid, you wait for this your whole life."

As Youkilis crossed home plate and trotted toward the dugout, he pointed to his parents in an acknowledgement. When he arrived in the dugout, no one came to greet him -- part of baseball's tradition of giving the silent treatment to first-timers.

"That was pretty funny," smiled a sheepish Youkilis. "Getting that is always great."

Youkilis is one of just seven Red Sox players in history to homer in his major league debut. The last was Sam Horn, who did so on May 25, 1987 against Seattle.

He's also on a short list of Red Sox players whose first major league hit was a homer. Creighton Gubanich was the last, on May 3, 1999 in Oakland.

Tough getting old

Mueller doesn't expect to be out of the lineup for long. The thinking is, another day off tomorrow, coupled with the team's scheduled day off Monday, should be enough rest.

"I think I'll be better Tuesday (when the Sox begin a three-game series against Tampa Bay)," he said. "I have some inflammation in there and I was given some anti-inflammatory medication. I should be all right."

Mueller said he can't recall injuring the knee or the origin of the problem.

"It's what happens when you play," he shrugged. "I'm not 24 anymore -- unfortunately."

Around the horn

Mark Bellhorn has reached base safely in 15 of 16 games this month . . . Nine of David Ortiz' last 12 hits have been for extra bases, including five homers. The homer was the 99th of his career . . . With a walk in the fifth inning, Manny Ramirez has now been on base in 14 straight games and 34 times in 36 games last season . . . A dropped pop-up by Cesar Crespo in the first inning extended the number of consecutive games with at least one error to four for the Red Sox. The last time the Sox committed errors in four straight games was Sept. 22-26, 2003 when the streak reached five games in a row . . . In the series finale today, Pedro Martinez will be matched against Roy Halladay for the third time in 37 games this season.