The 16-year-old came to Doubleday Field Thursday expecting to watch some of the best baseball players of his age in the world play a pair of games.

The 17-and 18-year-old National teams from the United States and Japan played a doubleheader as part of the Goodwill Games series at the legendary field, and Pohl, a Division One prospect at catcher and Cooperstown High School junior, wanted to see how he matched up.

But when the starting catcher for the U.S team suffered a thumb injury, a coach on the American team approached fans standing by the fence on the first base line and asked "Is anyone here a catcher?"

When Pohl replied he was, he was quickly ushered to the U.S. dugout, borrowed spikes, a shirt and other equipment, and was inserted into the game in the third inning of the first game.

"I didn't even have time to be nervous," Pohl said. "I had just gotten to the field 20 minutes before."

To add a little more serendipity to the day, when one of the American team coaches, Ray Fagnanti, saw Pohl, he said "Aren't you Phil from Cooperstown?"

When Pohl replied yes, Fagnanti told U.S manager Jason Baker, "Don't worry, he's good."

Fagnanti, the Northeast director of scouting for the Boston Red Sox, coached Pohl at a Top 96 baseball showcase in Lowell, Mass. in mid-August.

"Philip really caught my eye," Fagnanti said in between games. "When I saw it was him today I couldn't believe it. He's a legitimate player, I'll tell you that. He receives the ball extremely well, and he's got great arm strength. And when I met him for the first time he had a great handshake. He's got good, strong hands."

Pohl was the Most Valuable Player of the Center State Conference last spring, was a member of the Empire State Games team this summer, and spent much of the rest of the summer traveling to baseball showcases. But he said nothing could top his experience on Thursday.

After the Japan team won the first game, 5-1, Pohl and some of the players were interviewed by members of the Japanese media who were present. Pohl was even asked to sign some autographs by s few youngsters.

Goodwill Series president Bob Williams said Japan is the top ranked national team in the world, with a huge following in Japan. Several Japanese television crews and newspaper photographers were on hand Thursday, and approximately 200 Japanese fans also made the trip for the games.

Fagnanti said Pohl could have a good shot at making the U.S team next year.

"He was in the right place at the right time today, and he showed that he belongs," he said. "I told him you never know, you always have to be ready to take advantage of an opportunity to prove yourself."

In the first game, a designated hitter was used for Pohl, but in the second game he was allowed to hit. In his first two at bats, he saw six straight knee-buckling curve balls and struck out both times.

But on his third at bat, he finally saw a fastball, and ripped it down the left field line for a double.

"It was the only fastball I saw all day and I was lucky enough to turn on it," Pohl said. "I hit against three different pitchers, and they all had great command of their curve balls. That wasn't something I was used to hitting against."

The United States team earned a split of the two games with a 2-1, 10 inning victory in the second game. They left for California on Friday, and played three more games on the campus of USC.

"I talked to the coaches afterward and thanked them for the opportunity," Pohl said. "It would be wonderful to play again next year, but if not I made some great contacts and there were a lot of scouts there. It hasn't really sunk in yet that I actually played, but it's something I'll remember for a long time."