WASHINGTON -- In the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night against the Nationals, Dusty Brown got the signal he'd been waiting for all his life.

Manager Terry Francona signaled for him to get on his gear. And one inning later, in the bottom of the ninth, the young catcher made his major-league debut as he caught Daniel Bard for the final three outs of the Red Sox' 11-3 victory.

"I got the first one out of the way. No harm done -- thank God," said Brown. "It was exciting. Lucky I've caught [Bard] plenty. It would have been different if I never caught him before and go out there in my first MLB outing and try to catch [a pitcher who throws] 98 [mph]."

Bard loaded the bases with one out before his defense turned a 3-6-1 double play to end the game.

"It was cool," said Bard of working in Brown's debut. "I realize it was familiar territory for him, which is good. For me, it's the only time I've been more of a veteran than [another guy on the field].

"He's a big-league catcher, especially defensively and he's proven that for awhile. I made it a little tough on him, probably, but he did a great job and didn't make me look too bad. We got through it."

Brown's stay with the Sox will be a short one, since the club needs to activate veteran pitcher John Smoltz for his start against the Nationals on Thursday.

But not only will Brown never forget Tuesday night, it was also a thrilling moment for Francona, too.

"That was nice," he said. "He's waited a long time and he's worked hard. Sometimes as a manager, or coach, you have some bad meetings, or bad conversations, but this was a nice one."

jmcdonal@projo.com