SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Giants reliever Marc Kroon drives to work each morning, looks at the baseball sitting in his truck's cup holder, and is overcome by gratification.

It may be seem like a meaningless souvenir -- preserved as a keepsake after saving his first game last week in a spring-training contest against Arizona -- but for Kroon, it represents inspiration.

"I look at it every day,'' Kroon, 37, says, "because I don't want to forget.

"Really, this ball means everything to me.''

The last time Kroon even had a save opportunity in the big leagues was nearly 16 years ago. He was called in to protect a 4-3 lead against the Houston Astros in his major league debut. He allowed two walks and a single that led to a 5-4 Astros win, and then watched his manager, Bruce Bochy, kick a hole into the wall on the way to the visiting clubhouse at the Astrodome. Bochy next fell down, the manager says, while trying to remove his foot from the wall.

Kroon, terrified, retreated back to the dugout, sat on the bench, and cried until Padres closer Trevor Hoffman came back to get him.

"So, when I got that save the other day,'' Kroon says, "I told Bochy (now the Giants manager), 'It took only 16 years, and I went halfway across the world, but here's your save.' ''

Kroon spent the last six years in Japan, saving 177 games, setting records with his fastballs and becoming a cult hero. He earned nearly $20 million.

Despite saving at least 25 games six consecutive seasons, he received no offer this winter by any Japanese team. He even informed teams he was willing to play for $100,000, after earning $4 million in 2010. Still, no one called.

Kroon believes the snub is because Japanese clubs don't want a foreigner to reach the coveted 200-save club, which consists of only four Japanese relievers. Maybe it's because he had a 4.26 ERA last season, yielding 29 hits in just 50 2/3 innings, but with 73 strikeouts. No one knows.

Instead of retiring, Kroon decided to give the major leagues one last shot. He says he had six teams calling, but chose the Giants, who train just 10 minutes down the road from his home.

He would love to get the 23 more saves, finishing his career in Japan.

"I loved it over there,'' Kroon says. "Some guys hate it there. But they don't give it a chance. You have to learn the culture. I embraced it. I didn't complain. I would have gone back. I'd still love to go back and get to 200. I just didn't get that chance.

"So I'll just see if I can pick up where I left off here.''

Kroon, drafted in the second round in 1991 by the Mets, spent 13 years mostly bouncing around in the minors with seven organizations. His big-league career consisted of 26 games. He actually retired in 2002, and was giving pitching lessons after undergoing his second Tommy John elbow surgery, only to reach the big leagues again in 2004 for the Rockies. The major leagues didn't want him, so he headed to Japan.

A career was born. So was a legend once his fastball was clocked at 161 kilometers (100 mph) in 2005, a Japanese record. He set it again in 2008 by throwing 101 mph.

"I went from an average Joe,'' Kroon says, "to a rock star.''

Kroon, who still throws in the mid-90s but has struggled with his command, realizes he is a long shot to make the Giants. Yet, there are always scouts watching. And, for the first time, his three kids (Marc, 16; Matthew, 14; and Madison, 3) can see him in spring training.

"What are my chances of making this team?'' Kroon says. "Slim and none. They're the world champions and have a great bullpen. I know that.

"But when I was completely out of the game, a new chapter opened up. Maybe there's another chapter left.

"If not, I'll kiss the ground and be thankful.''