MARION - The line to see Tim Dorn stretched from the concourse all the way down to the field after Sunday's Southern Illinois Miners game.

Already a popular player because he hit the franchise's first home run, Dorn etched another historic place for himself with the team as he became the first Miner to get called up by a major league team. The St. Louis Cardinals called Miners general manager Tim Arseneau just after noon Sunday asking for the Monrovia, Calif., native. Dorn, 24, leaves today for Davenport, Iowa, and the Cardinals' Class A affiliate in the Midwest League.

About 40 minutes after he signed for every autograph hound that came his way in Marion, the 6-foot-8 first baseman said he was still at a loss for words.

"It's overwhelming to see everybody there just to get my autograph. I'm still in the minor leagues, but when I get to the big leagues, I'll be happy to sign a million autographs," Dorn said. "Albert Pujols, I'm coming to get your job, buddy."

Dorn, the Frontier League's home run leader with 12, was hitting .344 in 31 games for the Miners entering Sunday's contest. His 34 RBIs was second only to Kalamazoo's Josh Carter (38), so the move didn't send too many shockwaves through the organization.

Dorn became the second Frontier League player to sign with the Cardinals this season, after Slippery Rock reliever Pete Parise.

"I don't know how you put up those numbers and not get a chance," Miners manager Mike Pinto said. "Granted, there's a lot of guys in this league that are putting up numbers, but I thought his were certainly worth the attention that he got. He doesn't play in a small ballpark. He doesn't have any cheap home runs. He has legitimate home runs."

Dorn didn't find out until teammate Chris Hall told him in the middle of the game. As Dorn prepared for the top of the ninth inning, he was interrupted by Arseneau at first base, where the general manager presented him with a Cardinals cap as it was announced he had been signed by the Redbirds.

Dorn hopes to make his second run with a major league team a longer one. He was previously a 14th-round selection of the Seattle Mariners, but after the team tried to turn him into a pitching prospect, he was released three years later. Beginning today, with the Swing of the Quad-Cities, he hopes to prove to scouts how effective he can be as a first baseman.

"Pitching was tough. I'd never pitched before, and they wanted to throw me in there to get to the big leagues faster," Dorn said. "Three years later, I got released, and I always knew I could be a first baseman, and now I get to show what I got."

The move, however, created a major void in the power portion of the Miners' lineup as the team enters today's off-day. Ralph Santana and Chris Hall were first and third in the league's batting race entering Sunday's game, but the two had combined for only six home runs. Hall's five round-trippers now lead the team.

"I'm thrilled for him. Now I gotta get on the phones and find a replacement, because, Tuesday, life goes on for the Southern Illinois Miners without Tim Dorn," Pinto said. "The tough part, is he's so good, and he plays at such a level. Finding a guy with that kind of power production, that kind of batting average, that's a tough order."

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 351-5087@thesouthern.com / 351-5087