Buchholz

BOSTON — Clay Buchholz has already pitched a no-hitter and picked up a World Series ring. Tonight, for the first time, he gets to take part in one of the most important aspects of Red Sox baseball.

Tonight, the rangy right-hander pitches against the Yankees. He gets the start in the opener of a three-game set against New York, opposing Chien-Ming Wang, the new Yanks’ ace.

As was obvious by the crowd of 20 or so reporters around Buchholz’s locker before last night’s game against Detroit, Buchholz’s sixth appearance in the big leagues will be a special one. Buchholz learned about that as he was growing up in Texas.

“I knew it was hard core,” he said of the rivalry. “It was one of the best things to watch on TV growing up, the two teams going at it. They’re two of the best teams in Major League baseball. It’s fun to be part of this one.”

“I might be a little nervous in the first inning, but I think I’ll get over it,” he said. “It’s going to be great.”

Buchholz has already gotten a firsthand feel for the rivalry. Last May, when he was with Double-A Portland, he made a start in Trenton, against the Yankees’ team in the Eastern League.

It just so happened that the starter for Trenton was a fellow Texan who has just signed with the organization. A guy named Roger Clemens. The Sea Dogs had held Buchholz back for a day just so he could go against Clemens.

“It was an honor to stand on the same mound with him and pitch against him,” Buchholz said that night. “I was a little nervous. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I think I used that to my advantage, though, as far as adrenaline.”

Buchholz outdueled Clemens. He left after six innings with his team ahead, 3-2. With a crowd that included Theo Epstein, the Sox general manager, Buchholz had eight strikeouts, to six for Clemens.

“Up until the last game I pitched here, that was one of the biggest baseball moments in my life,” he said. “The guy is a Hall of Famer; everybody knows that. It was a fun day for me.” This one will be different because Buchholz will have the home crowd behind him. He has learned to appreciate that.

“It’s like a chapel here. I love playing here,” he said. “I love the fans. I love everybody who comes to the game and how they love baseball, how everybody knows baseball. They don’t have to be told to stand up and get loud. Everybody knows when to do it. That’s what makes it fun.”

One of the final hurdles for Buchholz is gaining the experience required at the big-league level.

“I think with young pitchers, all pitchers, but young pitches especially, putting out the fire is a big thing,” Sox manager Terry Franconca said. “I think the game can sometime speed up a little bit. When things are going well, his stuff is tremendous and it’s going to get better. When something doesn’t go according to plan, whether it’s command or whether it’s an error … all of a sudden things are happening. There are guys running on the bases. That’s just experience.”

There are few experiences like being part of a Red Sox-Yankees game. Buchholz will get to see how he handles that tonight.

pkenyon@projo.com