Joseph glad to get Royals debut under his belt

CLEVELAND -- Left-hander Donnie Joseph's Major League debut wasn't particularly successful, but it was memorable, coming on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, and it's over -- a big step for any rookie.

"I felt good, I was a little nervous, a little antsy, but once I got out there, I felt good, I felt comfortable and tried not to look around or even think where I was," Joseph said. "Just focus on throwing it to Salvy [catcher Salvador Perez] and trying to do my job."

Joseph took over for the Royals in the bottom of the seventh and threw two strikes to Vernon Wells before he lined out to left fielder Alex Gordon. Then, Joseph walked Lyle Overbay and gave up a single to Zoilo Almonte and was relieved by Louis Coleman.

"I was definitely amped up and excited, but I was just trying to slow the game down and just tell myself that it's just another game. Just go out there and throw," Joseph said.

Joseph said the old saying about the game speeding up on a young, inexperienced player at the Major League level is true.

"That was the big thing for me. I wasn't really nervous or scared or anything. It's just like the game is going a million miles an hour," he said. "So that's why I just tried to slow everything down, take deep breaths, take my time, just kind of do my routine and throw strikes."

Coleman got two strikeouts and the runners were stranded so no runs were charged against Joseph in the 8-4 loss to the Yankees.

"If you're going to make a debut, you might as well make it in a historic place like that. So, I was very thankful for it," Joseph said.

Joseph's debut came around after he was called up from Triple-A Omaha to fill in for starting pitcher Wade Davis, who is away for three days on paternity leave.

"I'll take it. Whatever it takes," Joseph said.