"Now we can put that to bed and get on with 2005," said knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, the longest-tenured player on the team. "It was a great run last year and it was very exciting to be a part of that. I think once the game started, it's time to move on."

Wakefield (1-0) allowed one unearned run, five hits and two walks while striking out five in seven innings. Doug Mirabelli homered, and the Yankees played compliant guests by watching and clapping during the hourlong ring ceremony and then fumbling away the game.

Mike Mussina (0-1) allowed seven runs — four earned — seven hits, three walks and five strikeouts in five innings. Alex Rodriguez, the focus of much Boston ire during the offseason and the fans' taunts during the game, misplayed a grounder for an error that let in three runs as the Red Sox made it 7-1 in the fifth.

"It's the home opener. We're playing the Yankees. We've got a ring ceremony. All of a sudden, you look up and (Derek) Jeter's in the batter's box," said Boston manager Terry Francona, who returned after missing four games with a viral infection that was feared to be a heart problem.

Yankee manager Joe Torre was complimentary of the Red Sox.

"They certainly deserved everything they got today," Torre said. "They won the championship last year, and even though you envy what's going on and you're a little jealous, it doesn't mean that you can ignore it."

The crowd of 33,702 cheered the arrival of the World Series trophy. They cheered for a Green Monster-sized World Series champion banner hung over the famous left-field wall, and the regular-sized one that will fly on the center-field flagpole for this season.

Former shortstop Johnny Pesky helped raise the flag to half-staff along with Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.

"I never dreamed anything like this would ever happen to me," said Pesky, who first joined the team 64 years ago and never saw it win a title. "It's just fun to be with people that really love the game."