PITTSBURGH - Khalil Greene was born to be a baseball player.

The San Diego Padres' rookie shortstop was born at Butler Memorial Hospital Oct. 21, 1979 - four days after the Pirates won the World Series.

His first taste of the game was at age 4 - playing T-ball in Callery. His family moved to Key West, Fla., a year later.

"I remember playing baseball in Callery," Greene said. "Being born in this area at the time that I was geared me toward sports right away.

"I had a Steelers suit I wore when I was a little kid. I wore a Pirates cap. All of my family were huge Pittsburgh sports fans and I just followed suit."

Greene's parents, Jim and Janet Greene, still have family in this region. His father is from the Callery area and his mother is from Gibsonia.

A firm believer in the Bahai faith, Greene's first name means "friend of God." His middle name, Thabit, means "steadfast."

"The connotation is steadfast friend of God," Greene said.

He's been a steadfast star in baseball as well. Since his family moved to Florida, Greene has:

Led Key West High School to the Florida state baseball championship his sophomore year and became his school's all-time leader in hits and runs scored.

Led Clemson University to the College World Series his senior year while winning the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur baseball player in America. He hit .480 that year with 26 homers and 86 RBI.

Left Clemson as the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time hits leader and ranks No. 2 on the NCAA all-time list with more than 400 hits. Only Phil Stephenson of Wichita State (1979-82) has more.

Became the Padres' first-round selection in the 2002 amateur draft - 13th overall - and reached the major leagues in his second season of professional ball.

Greene actually spurned the major leagues twice before signing with San Diego. He was not drafted out of high school, but was offered a six-figure contract by the St. Louis Cardinals if he would switch to catcher. He refused.

He was selected in the 14th round by the Chicago Cubs after his junior year at Clemson, but did not sign.

"That wasn't a hard decision," he said. "I wasn't planning on leaving Clemson early unless I was totally overwhelmed.

"Waiting paid off for me because I had a better situation with San Diego, more of an opportunity to move up quickly."

Greene said he could succeed as a catcher, but prefers being an infielder.

"I played catcher in Little League because I was a first-year player on the team and nobody else wanted to do it," he said.

Greene's father used to work in a family picture-framing business near Callery and is an artist. Some of that artistic sense was passed on to Greene, who designed his high school's state championship ring.

"My uncle opened a jewelry store in Key West and offered my father an opportunity to work with him on it," Greene said. "Next thing I knew, we were all in Florida.

Greene's parents moved to Greer, S.C., when he was a sophomore in college.

"Our annual vacation was always back up this way," Greene said of Pittsburgh. "Most of my extended family is still here and we're a close-knit group."

Surprised he wasn't drafted out of high school, Greene was disappointed none of the major Florida colleges expressed interest in him.

"I wanted to stay close to home and play," he said. "When the local schools didn't recruit me, I guess I felt I had something to prove."

He hasn't stopped proving it since, setting ACC records at Clemson, hitting .280 with 13 homers in Class AA and AAA last year before joining the Padres in September.

San Diego's current stop in Pittsburgh marks Greene's first appearance here as a major league player - and his first look at PNC Park.

He didn't leave any tickets at will call for any family members.

"I didn't have to," he said. "As soon as the schedule came out and they saw when we were coming here, they all bought tickets well in advance.

"This is different. I've been to games in Three Rivers Stadium, but I've never seen this place."

Greene was named National League Rookie of the Month in April and is batting .266 with a homer and 13 RBI this season.

He is receiving early mention as a NL Rookie of the Year candidate.

"That wouldn't mean much to me," Greene said. "I mean, awards are nice. Getting to the playoffs is nicer.

"When we go to Atlanta, my buddies from Clemson come to the games. When we go to Florida, my high school friends show up. Now in Pittsburgh, my family comes down … It feels good."