Long before he inked his name in Red Sox historical annals for his starring role in a 7-6 walkoff win over the Rangers, Darnell McDonald had a memorable Fenway experience, and it had nothing to do with anything he had done on the field.

In 2004, McDonald was a late-season callup by the Orioles, the team that had drafted him in the first round of the 1997 draft. He had been ranked as the top high school prospect in the country by Baseball America when he was drafted, but by the end of the ’04 season, he was on the cusp of journeyman status.

The O’s would cut McDonald loose after that season, and he has since bounced between six organizations. But he remembered distinctly his experience as a visitor in Fenway Park and the deeply personal moment that he experienced.

On Sept. 23, 2004, McDonald was in the Orioles dugout when, in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ellis Burks stepped to the plate to pinch-hit for the Sox. It was Burks’ first game in five months, following a painstakingly lengthy rehab for chronic knee problems, and everyone understood that the former All-Star was nearing the end of his career.

With the Sox trailing, 9-5, Burks stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. Burks had befriended McDonald when he was with the Rockies in the mid-1990s, as the prep superstar played at Cherry Creek High School in Denver.

“There’s not a better guy to look at,” said McDonald. “He really taught me how to work, how to be a professional.”

And in that game in ’04, the rookie McDonald had the chance to observe Burks’ professionalism.

The veteran worked the count full against Orioles closer B.J. Ryan, and then lined a single to center. He was then replaced by a pinch-runner.

As Burks came off the field, the fans at Fenway stood and gave a sustained ovation in recognition of his accomplishment in coming back even for that at-bat, and what he had done with his career -- both with the Sox and elsewhere. McDonald was deeply moved.

“It might have been his last at-bat here. He got a standing ovation. It gave me chills,” McDonald recalled on Tuesday night. “That’s the thing, to see the appreciation from the fans with that standing ovation, it gave me chills.”

Just a couple weeks later, the Orioles would release McDonald, thus beginning his life as a baseball nomad. He spent time with six franchises (the Indians, Rays, Nationals, Twins, Reds and, this year, the Red Sox) before finally making his way back to Fenway Park.

And that return arrived rather improbably. McDonald was added to the roster less than two hours before the start of Tuesday’s game, getting summoned only because the Sox needed two outfielders from Triple-A Pawtucket when Jacoby Ellsbury realized after a painful batting practice session that he would have to join Mike Cameron on the disabled list.

McDonald had been waiting at what he described simply as a “secret spot” until the Sox told him – after Ellsbury’s batting practice session – that his contract had been selected from the PawSox.

“I can’t divulge the spot. It’s a secret spot. They have a fast way of getting you here when they do make the decision,” McDonald chuckled before the game. “There’s some vending machines. You’ve got to pay for it. I kept my receipts.” 

He was not in the lineup. His stated desire to continue his hot start at Pawtucket, in which he hit .341/.372/.683/1.055 with two homers in eight games, seemed like little more than wishful thinking.

But as the game unfolded, an opportunity emerged. The Sox, after trailing by as many as four runs against the Rangers, whittled their deficit to 6-4 by the eighth inning. And with the left-handed Reddick due up as the second batter of the inning against left-handed Texas reliever Darren Oliver, the Sox asked McDonald (a right-hander) to pinch-hit for Reddick.

With a runner on second, McDonald watched four pitches, then, on a 2-2 slider, blasted it for a homer to left-center field to tie the game at 6-6. He thus became the first Red Sox to homer in his first at-bat with the club since Orlando Cabrera did so on Aug. 1, 2004. He became the first Sox pinch-hitter to hit a homer in his first at-bat with the club since Curtis Pride did so on Sept. 19, 1997.

But he was not done. He returned to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the bases loaded and the game still tied.

As much as anyone, the 31-year-old understood how precious an opportunity he faced. And so, he was unabashed in his ambitions for that moment.

“I wanted to be the hero,” said McDonald. “I wanted to come through. I know the team has been struggling a little bit. When I came up here and they told me I was going to be here, any opportunity I got, I wanted to be a spark.”

Facing Rangers reliever Frankie Francisco, McDonald lived up to his goals. The outfielder took a first-pitch strike, then jumped on a 96 mph fastball that was up and in.

He skied the pitch towards the same part of the park where his home run traveled, but this time, the ball did not have the same power behind it. Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton lined it up at the Green Monster, but his jump was just short.

The ball clanged off the scoreboard for a walkoff single, the first walkoff hit ever by a player making his Red Sox debut since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920. McDonald was mobbed by his new teammates, who were as exuberant about the sudden end of their five-game losing streak as they were elated by the unlikelihood of the agent of their victory.

“Anytime with a walkoff, I think you’re excited. But I think there’s a little more oomph just because of how we’ve been playing,” said Sox teammate Mike Lowell. “Wins like this, sometimes, they hopefully have a residual effect.

“I think we got outplayed. We got outhustled for those first five, six innings. It didn’t look too pretty, but sometimes things really turn around, especially from unexpected sources. Darnell, what a way to have your first game with the Red Sox.”

For McDonald, it was, quite simply, the greatest moment of his professional baseball career. More than five years after he had seen Burks’ memorable reception, McDonald had a moment of his own to savor.

“I couldn’t write a script any better than this,” said McDonald. “It was a dream come true.

“As a player, to be able to be put in a situation like tonight and have things work out for you, like I said, it’s definitely a dream come true. For me, a lot of perseverance and hard work and you know, just keep plugging along and to get to this point, I can’t put it into words how much it means to me.”

McDonald will never achieve the superstardom that was once forecast for him. At 31, he was left to sign a minor league contract with the hope that an opening would, at some point, present itself for a promotion. Many in his position have chosen to walk away from the game.

McDonald did not, and on Tuesday, he experienced the payoff for his commitment to the game. It did not disappoint.

“There was always that light at the end of the tunnel. Every year, trying to get better and trying to improve on the year before,” said McDonald. “When hard work meets opportunity, things like this happen.

“For me, the main thing also that kept me going was there were going to be some other guys coming along in the same boat, battling, being in the minor leagues for a long time. Hopefully they could look at me and have the same believe in themselves and knowing that you keep pushing, you keep working hard, it can happen.”