Boston plays a critical day-night doubleheader today against the Toronto Blue Jays, a team it has had trouble against all season.

09:18 AM EDT on Tuesday, September 27, 2005

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox' most anticipated final week of the regular season in recent history started with a rainout last night.

The Red Sox and New York Yankees are neck-and-neck in the divisional standings as Boston's first game of a four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed due to inclement weather at Fenway Park. The clubs will play a day-night doubleheader today beginning at 1 p.m., followed by the nightcap at 7.

The pitching matchup will be Tim Wakefield versus Dave Bush in the day game, and Curt Schilling against Gustavo Chacin in the nightcap.

"I would have liked to play it if we were supposed to," said Boston manager Terry Francona.

"Everybody's goal is to play the game and play nine innings, anytime. Now, you don't want weather to be a reason where somebody goes three innings and then you have to wait two hours. That's nobody's goal, so we wanted to stay away from that."

Francona was forced to alter his starting rotation for the weekend series against the New York Yankees due to last night's rainout. Wakefield will be pushed up and start on Saturday on only three days' rest so that Schilling can close out the regular season on Sunday.

While players are tired, bruised and banged up, the division title is up for grabs.

"We would much rather know that we can coast into it," said the Sox' Johnny Damon. "It comes down to this week, and whoever plays the best gets to go on. Our team is playing with more confidence than we had a couple of days ago. It's going to be a great week of baseball."

Whereas the rival Yankees finish the regular season on the road in Baltimore and Boston, the Red Sox play the remaining seven games at Fenway Park, where they are 52-26 this season, tops in the A.L.

"Home has always been great to us," said Damon. "Our fans are the absolute best. We definitely don't want to disappoint them."

If the Sox and the Yankees finish the regular season tied, a one-game playoff will be held Monday at Yankee Stadium. The last time a special playoff game decided a postseason berth was in 1999, when the New York Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds for the N.L. wild card. Red Sox first baseman John Olerud was a member of the Mets that season.

Of course, everyone in Red Sox Nation is aware of 1978 and Bucky Dent's game-winning home run in a special playoff game that ended the Sox' season.

The Sox and Yankees are once again on center stage this year, and who better to take the spotlight than Schilling.

"Curt loves this time of year," said Damon. "As we've seen last year, and in the past, Curt steps up in times like this. And if he goes against the Yankees on the last day we will be pretty excited."

But the Sox are not about to get ahead of themselves. It's going to be a one-game-at-a-time scenario. Before the three-game set with the Yankees, the feisty Blue Jays stand in the way. In fact, Toronto leads the season series, 9-5.

"We have confidence that we will play well," said Damon. "We know Toronto plays us well, but we have to do everything in our power. We have to be as confident as we can be. We've been in tough situations before. Whoever wins this weekend has a good shot at winning the World Series. Even the team that doesn't make it would have a great chance to win the World Series. So it's been a funny year, but another great year for baseball. I'm just happy to be a part of it."