Justin Masterson delivered the change-up and Chone Figgins grounded out. The cheers could be heard everywhere.

Fenway Park might have been rocking, but so was the Portland Sea Dogs' clubhouse.

When Masterson made his major league debut Thursday in Boston against the Los Angeles Angels, his teammates back in Portland were preparing for their own game.

But first they watched Masterson throw six innings of two-hit ball for the Sox.

"We had three TVs going," Sea Dogs pitching coach Mike Cather said. "When he got his first out, you heard 'Yeah, all right' coming from three different directions. Everyone was fired up. It was awesome.

"It's great because I think it gives these guys a sense of how close they really are to Fenway."

It's only natural for the Sea Dogs to watch Masterson on the Fenway mound and wonder about when they'll make the big leagues.

"I think everyone thinks like that, you know, like 'Maybe I'll get my chance,'" Sea Dogs reliever Hunter Jones said.

Jones was one of a dozen players, including Masterson, invited to the Red Sox offseason rookie camp, designed for players close to the reaching the major leagues.

Making the majors is the goal, but Jones knows such dreams can be distracting when you think about them too much.

"When I'm doing my best, I'm having a good time," Jones said, "and we're all doing well. You're picking other guys up.

"When you start thinking only about yourself, you start getting greedy and you start worrying about little things too much, and (you're) not focused on what to do."

Kris Johnson, another pitching prospect, watched Masterson with appreciation.

"He's legit," Johnson said. "He did a real good job using his sinker to his advantage, letting the ball just work down, and using his slider.

"He was put in the right situation, given the opportunity, and he took full advantage of it."

And when does Johnson's opportunity come? He shrugged.

"Everyone is one phone call away," Johnson said. "I'm just doing my work, and eventually that day will come."

And, said Portland Manager Arnie Beyeler, the Red Sox gave their minor league players a boost by starting Masterson on Thursday.

"It shows we're going to give people a chance, and get a chance with a winning team," Beyeler said. "They have to be thinking, 'Hey, I got a chance.'"

MASTERSON STILL has work to do.

Although Boston Manager Terry Francona said he was "impressed, proud" over Masterson's outing, Francona then announced, "He will go back to Double-A, assume his spot in the rotation and continue his development."

Part of that development is Masterson's change-up. It supposedly needed work, but catcher Kevin Cash kept calling for it and Masterson delivered.

One change-up was smacked by Casey Kotchman, but it was foul. Masterson followed with another change-up and Kotchman missed it.

"When he left spring training, he said he wanted to work on his change-up," Francona said. "And that's exactly what it looked like he did."

Cash certainly was impressed.

"I'm looking forward to the next time I get to catch him," Cash said. "He's going to have a bright future."

MAYBE THE BULLPEN is where Masterson's immediate future lies. Boston has plenty of starters and certainly could use a groundball-inducing sinkerball reliever.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com