"In the offseason, you watch those games, and they're something special," said Jaret Wright, who will have a closeup look at the opening series from the New York dugout. "You have two great teams that really want to win. To be a part of that, I think it's going to be great."
Carl Pavano, who was recruited by Boston this winter before signing in the Bronx, will take the mound for the second game of the series. Having come up through the Red Sox organization, Pavano has surely heard about the rivalry for years, though he will get his first true taste of it on Tuesday.
"It's going to be fun," Pavano said. "Everyone keeps asking me what it feels like, but I don't know what it feels like yet. I haven't been in it. I've read about it and heard about it, but I haven't been in the middle of it. This is the next step."