The left-hander has had his struggles on visiting teams against the Red Sox, but he's hopeful his can-do attitude will win over Boston fans.

09:49 AM EST on Wednesday, December 15, 2004

BY ART MARTONE
Journal Sports Editor

Surprised that David Wells is in a Red Sox uniform?

AP photo

Pitcher David Wells, with Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino, holds up a Red Sox jersey yesterday after he passed a physical and officially joined the team. Wells, 41, signed a two-year deal that could pay him as much as $18 million.

So's he.

"I never thought I'd be in this situation," the soon-to-be-42-year-old left-hander said yesterday as he was introduced to the Boston media after passing the physical that formalized the two-year contract he signed with the Sox last week. "Over the years, battling the Boston Red Sox -- whether it be Toronto, Detroit, New York, Baltimore -- [some] of my worst games have been here."

So why sign with the Red Sox?

"Why not?" he replied.

Why not, indeed. Wells is correct when he recounts his struggles against the Red Sox in general (14-20 with a 4.86 E.R.A. in 50 career appearances against them), and at Fenway Park in particular (10-10 with a 4.87 E.R.A. in 31 games there). But he has had his successes, too -- his victory at Fenway in Game 5 of the 2003 ALCS is the forgotten key to the Yankees' seven-game triumph over the Sox -- and he's quick to point out that he has never been one to back down from a challenge.

"I can't speak for everybody else, but I know I can do it," he said. "I've done it before. Like I said, I'm not afraid to fail."

It was the right attitude for a baseball-crazy city like New York, where Wells was a folk hero to Yankee fans, and it's right attitude for a baseball-crazy city like Boston.

Which is one of the main reasons the Red Sox signed him.

"I asked [general manager Theo Epstein] if there's anything in particular he would want me to say in introducing David," said Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino, who filled in for Epstein yesterday, "and he said to be sure to remind people how much David loves the big stage -- how comfortable he is in the postseason and how much he enjoys that challenge and that part of the game."

Even in Boston, which is a place that Wells never anticipated hanging his hat.

"It's something I never thought would happen, ever," Wells said. "Theo gave me a call and he said, 'Are you interested?' I said, 'Yeah. We got to talk obviously and see what's going on.' Within a few hours the deal was done. I couldn't believe it happened so quick. They put a great deal out there for me and I felt that it was something I couldn't pass up."

Wells agreed to a two-year contract that could be worth as much as $18 million if he makes 30 starts a year. His salary is $2.5 million per season, and he received a $3 million signing bonus. In addition, he will receive $200,000 per start for starts 11 through 20 each season, and $300,000 per start for starts 21 through 30.

And, suddenly, he's a member of a team he's spent most of his career battling. When Boston and Toronto were vying for A.L. East supremacy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wells was a Blue Jay. When the Boston-New York rivalry re-exploded in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Wells was a Yankee.

But changing sides, he says, was easy.

"I'm thrilled," he said. "It's a good tradition -- good history here. That's what I'm all about. I'm a throwback.

"I feel that I can do the job here. I don't feel any pressure. Playing in New York, that's a lot of pressure."

The pressure on Wells has already increased in the days since he signed. The Sox' top starter, Curt Schilling, announced yesterday he won't recover from ankle surgery in time to start the season, and their No. 2, Pedro Martinez, is headed to the Mets. Wells suddenly has a much bigger role than he anticipated last Friday.

But that's not a problem.

"Whatever they ask," he said. "Whenever I get the opportunity to pitch, I'm going to go out there and pitch. I don't feel like anybody is the Number One guy. That's for [the media] to decide. We've got five starters, and I've always said we're all Number Ones. When it's your day to shine, take it and try to make everybody proud."

Even it means pitching Opening Day against the Yankees in New York on April 4.

"If that's the situation, give me the ball," he said. "I'm ready. I've never turned down a challenge. Why start now? I think it'd be a great honor to go out there and pitch, especially in Yankee Stadium against the Yankees."

That attitude won over the Yankee fans. "New York fans have been very good to me, and that's one thing I will never forget for the rest of my life because they [poured] their hearts out and they supported David Wells," he said.

And Wells hopes that attitude will make him a favorite in Boston, as well.

"I just got to get to know the people here in Boston," he said. "I've been the bad guy coming into Boston.

"I guess I'm one of the good guys now, so we'll see what happens."