Big-game veterans start in Game 1

John Lackey was a 24-year-old rookie when he won Game 7 of the 2002 Series for the Angels.

The two big-game veterans will start things off in Game 1 of their American League first-round series today when the East champion Boston Red Sox play West champion Los Angeles. With Beckett facing Lackey in the opener, the only sure bet is that they won't be crumbling under the pressure.

"He's been in these big games just like I have, and done extremely well," Lackey said. "I mean, throwing a shutout to win a World Series, it doesn't get much better than that. He's obviously got great stuff and it's going to be a great challenge for us. I'm going to have to pitch well to give our guys a chance."

Now 27, Beckett was the MVP of the '03 Series after beating the Yankees in the Game 6 finale. Already flush with confidence, he grew stubborn in his success and became convinced that his best pitch in every situation was to blow his fastball by the hitter.

That resulted in some rough starts last year - his first in Boston - and a whopping 36 home runs allowed, along with a 5.01 ERA.

"You learn a lot through failure and through succeeding," Beckett said. "As you get older, obviously, you're still learning. But I think you learn a lot of crucial things along the way. But I don't think anybody will ever consider their learning process completed in this game."

Mixing in his curveball and changeup more this season, he became the majors' first 20-game winner in 2 years. He also reached a career high with 194 strikeouts while topping 200 innings and cutting his homer total to 17.

"We've seen a young guy work so hard and mature so much, and he became the guy that we really needed him to become," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "Every good team has guys like that - where you say, 'This is our guy, and go get 'em.' "

Lackey, 28, set career bests this season with 19 wins, a 3.01 ERA, 224 innings and a 3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

But heading into the series against Boston, he will be drawing upon his playoff experience. In addition to the five games he pitched in '02, Lackey also made three starts in the 2005 playoffs.

No game was as big as the World Series clincher, when he allowed one run in five innings to lead the Angels to a 4-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

"I was pretty much a two-pitch pitcher that year," Lackey said. "I've got more options these days. If one thing is not working, I've got a few more things in my bag I can go to."

The Red Sox left knuckleballer Tim Wakefield off the playoff roster because of his ailing back. The Angels left off Gary Matthews Jr. (left knee) and Bartolo Colon (elbow). *