Johnny Damon watches his second-inning grand slam during Game Seven of the ALCS against the Yankees in 2004. Boston came back from a 3-0 series deficit to beat New York.

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach

NEW YORK — When the Red Sox begin their three-game series against the Yankees tonight, it very well could be the last time Boston plays at Yankee Stadium.

The facility will meet its demise at the end of the 2008 season and be turned into a city park as the Bronx Bombers move into their new state-of-the-art ballpark next April. There’s still a small chance the greatest rivalry in baseball could be resumed in the postseason, but at this point, that does not seem likely.

Tampa leads the A.L. East with a 4½-game lead over the Red Sox and 9½ games over the Yankees. Boston leads the wild-card race while New York is five games back.

For some Red Sox players, this series will have a nostalgic feel to it. Don’t think for a New York minute, however, that the club will allow itself to get lost in a fog of memories. The Sox need to win this series to keep a safe distance between themselves and the always dangerous Yankees.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said as much over the weekend in Toronto when he was asked to recall his memories and feelings about “The House That Ruth Built.” After all, Francona managed the Red Sox to one of the greatest comebacks in all professional sports by beating the Yankees at Yankee Stadium to win the 2004 ALCS after being down, 3-0, in the series.

Francona also managed the American League team at this summer’s All-Star Game in the Bronx. But the manager would rather talk about the here and now instead of the past or future.

When asked if the 2004 ALCS win over the Yankees was his best memory, Francona wasn’t all that interested in answering the question.

“Yeah, I guess,” he said. “That was good. I don’t sit around and think like that. We kind of move on and I get a kick out of living through what we’re doing. That’s just how I feel. Even right now, we’re a little beat up and we’re not setting the world on fire.”

When pressed further, Francona finally admitted Yankee Stadium is a special place.

“When I played for Cleveland, we were terrible, so when you went to Yankee Stadium you felt like the game was important,” he said. “You knew you were playing in a game that people cared about and that’s a nice feeling. The atmosphere is unbelievable.”

The cathedral of baseball has changed over the years. It has been renovated and given facelifts. But what has endured are the memories of some of the game’s all-time greats playing here.

“That stadium lets you know when you’ve arrived as a major-league player,” said Red Sox catcher Kevin Cash. “That sets the standard because of all the superstars who have been there. But I think a lot of people are looking forward to the new park, too.”

Paul Byrd’s first trip to Yankee Stadium was as a member of the Phillies. The right-hander recalls being removed from the interleague game despite having a 7-1 lead. But Philadelphia could hold the advantage and New York ended up winning.

“It’s one of the toughest places to play,” he said. “The crowd’s crazy. You can get a little intimidated, especially as a young player. As an older guy, you get aggravated. It’s a great place to play and great for baseball. I’ve always enjoyed making that trip. It’s the wildest place I have ever played.”

Now Byrd will get to experience the Sox-Yankees rivalry first-hand. He said he’s always enjoyed watching the games on television and especially liked when Yankee fans chanted “Who’s your Daddy?” to former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez during the 2004 ALCS.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Byrd. “I’m excited about the magnitude of it.”

Julio Lugo was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York as a child. He remembers going to his first Yankees game at age 16.

“There’s a lot of history over there,” said Lugo. “You’ve got to remember the Yankees are always going to be the Yankees. It’s always a special moment when you go to Yankee Stadium. The first time I played there I had a lot of my friends there, so there are a lot of memories I’m always going to remember.”

Red Sox rookie Jed Lowrie played at Yankee Stadium for the first time in April when he was recalled from Pawtucket. He made his stadium debut on his 24th birthday and his parents attended the two-game series.

“We’ve got to go in there and take care of business, obviously,” said Lowrie. “But, as far as being able to play at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, they are the two meccas of baseball. Getting the opportunity to play at Fenway every day, and getting the opportunity to go to Yankee Stadium before they open the new one will be a pretty cool experience and something I’ll be able to say I did for the rest of my life.”

Like most first-timers, Lowrie visited Monument Park in center field and said he’ll do it again during this trip.

Alex Cora began his career with the Dodgers and always wanted to play at Yankee Stadium. He thought he’d finally get his chance when he signed with the Indians as a free agent at the start of the 2005 season. But he was traded to Boston just before Cleveland was scheduled to make its first trip to New York.

Finally he got the chance with the Red Sox.

“It’s better to do it in this uniform with all the tradition and hype,” said Cora. “It was great. It’s a great place to play baseball. It has a great atmosphere. It’s a privilege to play at least one game there.”

Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin has played in a lot of different places during his 18-year career. He recently spoke about former ballparks like Memorial Stadium in Baltimore and Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

But nothing compares to Yankee Stadium.

“When you’re on the field, you know what has happened at Yankee Stadium,” said Timlin. “I’ll miss it. I remember the way I felt, knowing I was walking on the same grass as a lot of historic baseball players.

“Walking into Fenway was the same way for me as a Blue Jay,” he added. “You walk into Fenway and there’s tons and tons of history there, knowing the people who have played this game before me, and have been on the same field, is quite an amazing feeling.”

One memory Timlin said he’ll always recall is when he saved Roger Clemens’ 200th career victory when the pair played for Toronto.

Surprisingly, most of the veterans on the Red Sox really didn’t have too much to say about Yankee Stadium. Even Tim Wakefield, who is starting tonight, said he’s more concerned about the final score.

“I’ve played in that stadium for the past 14 years, so it’s a pretty special cathedral of baseball,” said Wakefield. “Hopefully I’m around next year to see the new one.”

Even before Cash signed with the Red Sox organization, he played at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park as a member of the Blue Jays and Rays. He said, as an opposing catcher, there’s no better place to play than Fenway Park.

“It’s cool, but we get to play at Fenway every day,” said Cash. “It’s not like I’ll be shedding tears when I won’t be able to play at Yankee Stadium anymore. Fenway’s better and it’s not even close, in my eyes. As a catcher, the ground shakes.” LAST TIME IN

Unless the Red Sox and Yankees meet in the playoffs, the next three games will mark Boston’s final appearance at the old Yankee Stadium. The Sox were the Yanks’ first opponent in the Bronx. The teams played the first game at the stadium on April 18, 1923. The Yankees have a 489-287-4 edge in games at Yankee Stadium, both regular season and postseason.

jmcdonal@projo.com