CINCINNATI -- Visits to Great American Ball Park always revive a pleasant memory for Starlin Castro.

The Marlins second baseman made his MLB debut at the ballpark on May 7, 2010, and it remains etched in his memory -- with good reason. Castro, then a highly-regarded Cubs prospect, showed up in Cincinnati before the Reds and Chicago met in the Friday opener of a three-game series and wasted no time making an impression.

In his first career at-bat, hitting in the eighth slot against right-hander Homer Bailey with Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto on base, Castro clubbed a home run to give the Cubs a 3-0 second-inning lead.

In his next at-bat, against right-hander Micah Owings with Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Soto on base, Castro launched a triple to center field, pushing the Cubs' lead to 9-0 in a wild game they eventually would win, 14-7. The six RBIs remain Castro’s single-game career high.

“That’s the type of day you never forget,” Castro said before Tuesday’s three-game series opener against the Reds. “It’s always special to come here.”

Castro recalls learning early that morning that he was recalled by the Cubs and had to hustle from Tennessee to get to Cincinnati. The hardest part of the journey might’ve been the end.

“I didn’t know how to get in,” he said. “Luckily, a teammate saw me, and I followed him in. That’s how I got to the clubhouse.”

Castro, who went into Tuesday’s game having slashed .271/.311/.424 with five home runs and 29 RBIs in 51 career games at Great American Ball Park, still has the ball he hit for his first home run, the bat he used and the lineup card from the game, he said.

“Everyone has really special moments in their life,” he said. “That’s one for me.”