Eventful opening act for Kalish

Ryan Kalish promised he drove within the speed limit on his way to Fenway Park yesterday. Although Kalish said that with a smile, he had to hurry his way to Boston from Triple A Pawtucket as he was thrown into the Red Sox lineup when Jeremy Hermida was designated for assignment. Kalish received the call at 2:30 p.m.With less than two hours before game time, Kalish, 22, managed to arrive on time to make his major league debut. And as quickly as Kalish put on a Red Sox uniform, he immediately helped the team in its 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.In his first at-bat, Kalish singled to right off a changeup from Max Scherzer to lead off the third inning. As Kalish ran to first base he watched his first hit in the majors go past an outstretched second baseman Will Rhymes. Then, he noticed the sellout crowd of 37,498 giving him a standing ovation.“This is my whole life, waiting for this,’’ Kalish said. “I just stayed back and hit it through the hole. It was pretty cool.’’Playing in left field, Kalish was able to get his first look at the Green Monster, which presented some problems playing balls off the wall early as the Tigers built their lead. In the seventh inning, Kalish started the Red Sox comeback.In his first at-bat with a runner in scoring position, Kalish singled to right in front of Brennan Boesch to drive in Adrian Beltre, cutting the Tigers’ lead to two. In the process, Kalish shattered his bat with the barrel hitting home plate umpire Dan Iassogna. The play could have been considered embarrassing for the rookie, but Kalish didn’t mind with the result.“It worked out,’’ he said. “You get a little overanxious and you want to try and do a lot. In the end, the ball fell in.’’Even if Kalish said he was nervous the entire game, his biggest problem was trying to deal with the nonstop action that came from being called up. On Friday night, Kalish helped Pawtucket get a 7-4 win in 11 innings over the Mud Hens in Toledo. Once the team arrived back in the area, Kalish was headed to Boston — a move so quick that his parents couldn’t make it to yesterday’s game.“It’s kind of one of those days where you say, ‘Is this real?’ ’’ said Kalish, who finished 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. “You have to be excited to come help everybody win. If you can’t get up for that, I don’t know what you’re doing.’’Between Double A Portland and Triple A Pawtucket this year, Kalish hit .294 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs. He was also named the organization’s best offensive minor leaguer last year, which gives general manager Theo Epstein confidence in Kalish’s abilities at the next level.“I think Ryan understands that when you come up it can be for a day, it can be for a month, it can be for the rest of your career,’’ Epstein said. “It depends on how things evolve. We’re not looking at him as a savior.’’Epstein said he brought Kalish up for his energy, his advanced approach at the plate, and his solid all-around game. Manager Terry Francona was impressed with what he saw.“I think it’s a pretty big compliment to him that we feel like he can come up right smack in the middle of our season and give us a boost,’’ Francona said. “He’ll be fun to watch grow into a really good player.’’When David Ortiz hit a walkoff three-run double, Kalish watched the play from the top of the dugout. Once Kevin Youkilis scored the winning run, Kalish ran onto the field to celebrate the victory — something he only dreamed about before yesterday.“There was so much energy,’’ Kalish said. “I’ve never been a part of something like that. Everyone was just going nuts.’’Nate Taylor can be reached at ntaylor@globe.com.