Congrats Mike Cervenak on his MLBB debut!

The one time "Mayor of Norwich" makes the bigs. Mike was a very popular player spenting four seasons as a Norwich Navigator; two years with the Yankees and two more with the Giants. The below article is from Milb.com by Ken Mandel:

"PHILADELPHIA -- It was easy to miss, an innocuous 11th-inning fly to left field in a 12-inning win.
Mike Cervenak certainly won't forget it.

Friday night's at-bat off D-backs reliever Connor Robertson welcomed the 31-year-old Cervenak to the baseball fraternity, where he joins many who have stood in batter's boxes before him.

Able to shed a pitcher for the final weekend before the All-Star break, the Phillies summoned Cervenak from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he was hitting .310 with seven home runs. Manager Charlie Manuel said he liked the righty's bat.

The fifth of six players to appear in the fifth spot in the batting order, Cervenak didn't have time to bask in his surroundings before hacking. He swung at the second pitch and lined to Conor Jackson.

"It felt pretty good [off the bat]," Cervenak said. "I didn't think I hit it out or anything. I was hoping it got over his head."

Earlier in the game, Cervenak said he was overwhelmed by players congratulating him in the dugout, despite the tenseness of the matchup. After 8 1/2 seasons of independent and Minor League ball, including half a season in Korea, Cervenak was wearing a Major League uniform.

The journey was worth it.

"It validates everything you've done up to this point," Cervenak said. "You can say that you played in the big leagues. Not a lot of people can say that."

Not bad for a kid who grew up a Tigers fan in Trenton, Mich., with Kirk Gibson as one of his idols. Fittingly, Gibson is the bench coach for the D-backs, who the Phillies are playing this weekend.

Cervenak played baseball with Dave Parrish, son of Lance Parrish, at the University of Michigan, and met Gibson and his idol, Alan Trammell.

While he'll always remember Gibson's home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, the Tigers fan in him has a special place for another home run.

"I remember the one off [Rich] Gossage in Game 5 [of the 1984 World Series], the three-run home run," he said. "That was a baseball moment. [Tigers manager] Sparky Anderson was screaming, 'He doesn't want to walk you.' That's the home run I'll always remember."

That and his lineout to left field."

Ken Mandel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.