The fans turned out to see the Red Sox play the Yomiuri Giants in Boston’s second and final exhibition yesterday at the Tokyo Dome. One young fan (above) wore a hat with homemade cardboard socks stuck to it and Dice-K written on them. Another Japanese hero, pitcher Hideki Okajima (right), throws a ball up to a fan before the start of the game as others hope for an autograph or souvenir.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

TOKYO — In the span of only a few days earlier this month, the Red Sox got to see firsthand one of the main reasons no team this century has been able to repeat as World Series champion.

Injuries — however minor — to their starting shortstop, last year’s starting center fielder and most critically, their No. 1 starting pitcher served to remind the Sox that good health, like fame, can be fleeting.

As the Red Sox open the defense of their title here tomorrow, farther from home than any champion before them, they do so with the knowledge that one of the most critical components to a successful season — avoidance of injuries — lies beyond their control.

Though the losses of Julio Lugo, Coco Crisp and Josh Beckett were short-term and minor in nature, the point was nonetheless made: No team — even ones with extraordinary talent and sufficient depth — can overcome a succession of manpower losses.

Healthy, the Red Sox stand as good a chance as any recent champion. Though improvements have been made by Detroit (Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis), and though Cleveland, Los Angeles and, yes, the Yankees, remain as formidable as a year ago, the Sox enter the season as the team to beat.

A look at their various components:

•STARTING PITCHING

Beckett isn’t here and won’t start a game until the Sox reach the third country of their season-opening, international jaunt. But they’re assured that the lower back strain that sidelined him the last few weeks is minor and temporary.

Last fall, Beckett cemented his reputation as the game’s best under-30 big-game pitcher, and another 20-win campaign — he was the only pitcher in either league to reach the milestone last season — isn’t difficult to imagine.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, back for a second season in the major leagues, should show improvement, though expectations that he’s poised to make the same quantum-sized progression that Beckett did in his second season with the Sox may prove excessive. Nonetheless, this season won’t be nearly the cultural challenge last year was for Matsuzaka and that alone should translate into a more consistent performance on the mound.

Privately, the starter from whom the Sox expect the biggest leap is Jon Lester, who, cancer-free, is stronger and ready to make a big impact. His shutout performance in the World Series-clinching Game Four in Denver last October may have been hint of what’s to come.

Tim Wakefield returns for his — can it really be? — 14th season with the Sox and can be expected to supply his usual double-figure win total, even with the security net of Doug Mirabelli yanked away. Clay Buchholz’s transition full-time into the rotation will be managed carefully, and in time, he may be pushed by Bartolo Colon.

Depth, as it will surely be needed, can come from veterans Julian Tavarez and Kyle Snyder and, before long, perhaps Justin Masterson.

•BULLPEN

While Mariano Rivera remains the gold standard at closer, no one is more dominant or formidable than Jonathan Papelbon.

Unlike last season, when the Sox were unsure of how his shoulder would respond to the workload, both pitcher and team have an understanding of how to manage his use. That Papelbon was as good as he’s ever been last October proved that the learning curve had been successfully navigated.

The left-right combination of Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima is as effective as any in the game. If Lester stands to make the biggest strides on the staff, Delcarmen may not be far behind. Look for the Sox to increase his responsibilities by occasionally filling in as closer when Papelbon needs a day or two off.

Ageless Mike Timlin will handle the rest, with support from the likes of Snyder, Tavarez and, likely, Bryan Corey.

•OFFENSE

The team’s lineup may not quite match that of the Tigers, but it’s a batting order fully capable of scoring 900 or so runs.

If Jacoby Ellsbury can eventually lay claim to the leadoff spot, he would, along with Rookie of the Year second baseman Dustin Pedroia, form a top-notch set of table-setters for the rest.

Only one player in the game has knocked in more runs than David Ortiz since he joined the Sox and, surely, no one has had more timely RBI. Manny Ramirez, seemingly as focused as he’s ever been, could cement his next two contract options — and perhaps beyond with a bounce-back season.

Mike Lowell, who established a career-high in RBI last season, provides the Dynamic Duo with protection in the fifth spot, and if Ellsbury can handle the top spot, J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis help give the attack depth into the middle- and lower-third of the lineup.

Jason Varitek, in the last year of his contract, doesn’t lack for incentive to show that he, like catching rival Jorge Posada in New York, can continue to produce as he nears his late 30s. Lugo, who, like Drew, was unsatisfied with his first season in Boston, could provide some muscle at the bottom end, and with Ellsbury to follow once the lineup turns over, gives the Sox a chance to have two everyday players combine for 70 stolen bases.

•DEFENSE

Three of the four infielders — all but Lugo — must be considered above-average defenders, and while still a bit raw, Ellsbury provides the same edge in center.

Drew handles Fenway’s demanding and expansive right field just fine and Ramirez, though limited in range, has smartly learned to handle The Wall and his extraordinarily quick release helps compensate for his shortcomings.

Varitek, though he’s had difficulty throwing out runners in recent years, remains an asset behind the plate.

•BENCH

Alex Cora returns as the team’s ultimate utility man. Sean Casey replaces Eric Hinske as the backup first baseman and top pinch-hitting option and Kevin Cash takes over for Mirabelli, offering a step up defensively while not providing much more at the plate than his predecessor.

Coco Crisp, much to his surprise, is still here, but probably only until the Sox can get anywhere close to equal value in exchange. Until then, expect that he will get occasionally playing time against lefties so as to stay sharp and showcase himself for interested suitors.

•INTANGIBLES

The nucleus remains intact — fewer than a half-dozen faces from last year will be missing when the team receives its World Series rings.

Last week’s threatened job action in support of the coaches only reinforces the togetherness of the team, an atmosphere fostered by a core of veterans led by Varitek, Lowell and Ortiz.

Manager Terry Francona, with two World Series victories in his first four seasons, is the most successful manager in the franchise’s modern history for a reason: He understands his job is to manage people, not just games.

•OUTLOOK

An appearance in the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years would seem a given. How they fare once they get there, as history has shown, will depend on how well they’re pitching, and, not surprisingly, their relative health at the time.

If injuries don’t derail these Red Sox, it would seem little else can.

•Tomorrow’s probables:

Boston, Daisuke Matsuzaka

(15-12, 4.40 ERA in 2007)

vs. Oakland, Joe Blanton

(14-10, 3.95).

•Sports writer Sean McAdam and photographer Bob Breidenbach are with the Red Sox in Japan. For up-to-the-minute reports, including tomorrow’s pregame lineups, go to: projosports.com/soxblog and projosports.com/redsox

smcadam@projo.com