Toronto’s ace right-hander, Roy Halladay, earns the victory against Boston yesterday.

AP / J.P. Moczulski

TORONTO — After yesterday’s game the Red Sox finally headed for home, putting an end to a 19-day road trip that featured games in Japan, the West Coast and Canada.

Boston will have today off and open its home season tomorrow afternoon against the Detroit Tigers.

“This is the longest trip I’ve ever been on. I’m not a real clothes horse, but I ran out of clothes a long time ago,” joked Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

Francona said the trip has worn a bit on the players mentally and physically, causing them to become more frustrated a bit more quickly than normal in a game in which frustration — personal and team — has to be dealt with on an almost daily basis.

But no one in the clubhouse was using the journey as a reason for the team’s 3-4 record.

“We just have to keep playing. No excuses,” said captain and starting catcher Jason Varitek. “Some normalcy will be nice, getting back and getting going in front of our fans, playing some night games so we can get back into (the normal grind).”

Varitek said the team’s record at this point could be attributed in part to the difficult and unusual travel schedule, but there’s a simple bottom line to it all, he said.

“We just have to play better baseball,” said Varitek.

Tomorrow, the Red Sox will participate in their eighth lengthy pregame introduction of the season, for Opening Day at Fenway Park.

But somehow, while introductions have gotten old by now for them, this one will be special. The Sox will be given their rings for having won the 2007 World Series.

“Everyone will be excited,” said Francona. “It was a great accomplishment. That was last year, but (the players) should enjoy the appreciation from the fans. [Winning a title] doesn’t come every day. It’s hard to do. [The ring ceremony] is something great to experience. Opening Day at Fenway is special, anyway, but with a ring ceremony, to boot, it’s pretty special.”

And while introductions have become old hat and a tad tiresome to the Sox this season, veteran pitcher Tim Wakefield wouldn’t mind doing it again a few times after the regular season.

“I could take six more,” said Wakefield, referring to pregame introductions in October that accompany home-and-away playoff games through the World Series.

Feast or famine

J.D. Drew had a bit of a feast-or-famine series against the Jays, but when he made contact, the result invariably was a base hit, with some power.

Drew went 5-for-11 with two homers, a double, four RBI and three runs scored. He also fanned four times. Yesterday, Drew went 2-for-4, including a solo homer.

Around the bases

Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to first base in the fifth inning against Toronto All-Star Roy Halladay. That was news. Prior to that at-bat, Ellsbury was 4-for-4 against Halladay, including a pair of homers. Ellsbury connected for his first homer of the year off Halladay in the third, one of three solo shots served up by the Jays’ ace. Drew and Varitek had the others . . . The homer for Varitek was his 150th, moving him past Reggie Smith and into 16th place on the Sox’ all-time list. George Scott (154) is 15th.

The dome roof was closed for all three games in the series . . . Kevin Youkilis fouled a ball off the big toe on his left foot in the first inning but stayed in the game . . . Former Providence College star John McDonald made two sparkling defensive plays at shortstop, though only one of his diving plays resulted in an out at first. He also escaped serious injury in a collision with center fielder Vernon Wells as the two chased a blooper in the eighth. The ball fell out of McDonald’s glove as the two crashed into each other and rolled away, giving Youkilis a gift triple. But he was unable to turn Mike Lowell’s bouncer up the middle in the ninth into an out, his short-hop throw eluding first baseman Lyle Overbay.

skrasner@projo.com