BOSTON – Reggie Sanders was the St. Louis Cardinals’ designated hitter Saturday night in Game 1 of the World Series against the Red Sox. He was replaced in left field by So Taguchi.

It was an interesting choice by manager Tony La Russa because Taguchi was a defensive substitute most of the season.

First-base coach Dave McKay hit fungos off the Green Monster during Friday’s workout so St. Louis players could get used to the way balls bounce off particular areas. The Wall is made of sheet metal, wood and concrete, and there’s also a padded portion.

“Some guys go out there and say, “I’m going to play it like Yastrzemski, play it off the wall, catch it in the air and throw somebody out,”‘ McKay said. “Well, don’t do that. You don’t play here enough to do that.

“Let it hit the ground and play a little shallow and if it’s over your head it’s going to hit the wall anyway.”

Taguchi said simply: “Usually if it hits the wall it’s two bases, so I don’t care.”

Sanders said he wouldn’t let being the DH affect his routine. The temperature was 49 degrees, but he planned to stay on the bench during the game.

“I’m telling my mind it’s hot,” he said. “I need to be out there.”

Taguchi hit .291 in 179 at-bats this season with three homers and 25 RBIs.

Knuckling under

With the Red Sox starting knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, the Cardinals had someone to throw knucklers in batting practice if they wanted – St. Louis catcher Cody McKay, who was not on the postseason roster.

McKay’s father, Dave McKay, is the Cardinals’ regular BP pitcher.

“Dad doesn’t throw a knuckler,” Cody said. “I do.”

The younger McKay made his major league debut this season, playing 35 games. He also made one pitching appearance, throwing two hitless innings against Milwaukee in early April.

A couple of days later, the Cardinals were about to face Arizona knuckleballer Steve Sparks, and considered letting Cody throw his knucklers in batting practice before deciding against it.

“I was ready,” he said.

McKay said his father would do fine getting the St. Louis hitters ready for Wakefield.

“He’ll just slow it down. You can’t read the break on a knuckleball anyway, so the biggest thing for hitters is to get the timing right, to get used to hitting a pitch going 60 mph,” he said.

The rookie said the wind was a big factor in how much a knuckler floated.

“The worst thing is when it’s at your back. You can’t control it at all then,” he said. “You kind of want it blowing in your face, but not too hard.”

McKay glanced at the flagpole in center field, and the flap was flapping. He winced a bit, considering how Wakefield would do.

“Looks like a good night for a knuckleball,” he said.

Backup catcher Doug Mirabelli started behind the plate for Boston because he normally catches Wakefield. That left switch-hitter Jason Varitek on the bench. Varitek struggled to catch the knuckler when Wakefield relieved in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Yankees.

Teaching Theo

The local boy who would become general manager of the Red Sox sat at home watching Boston botch Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He saw Bill Buckner’s error lead to a 6-5 loss in 10 innings to the New York Mets.

“It was devastating,” he said. “At the age of 12, it’s tough.”

Still hopeful, he went to school the next day and learned an important lesson about the team’s history of falling short in the postseason.

“I went to school. I said, “Don’t worry, they’ll be back,”‘ Epstein said.

But the Red Sox hadn’t won a world championship since 1918, losing the 1946, 1967 and 1975 World Series in seven games. And in 1978, they lost a one-game playoff in which light-hitting Bucky Dent hit a three-run homer for the New York Yankees in the seventh inning at Fenway Park.

Epstein’s teacher quickly doused his optimism about Game 7.

“I remember my math teacher looking at me saying, “You’re a fool. You don’t get it. They have no chance of winning that game,”‘ Epstein said.

The teacher was right. Boston blew a 3-0 lead in that one and lost 8-5.

Sad tribute

A moment of silence was held before the game for the 21-year-old college student who died Thursday after police tried to disperse a rowdy crowd around Fenway Park.

Victoria Snelgrove died after being hit in the eye by a pepper-spray pellet shot by a police officer after the Red Sox won the seventh game of the AL championship series at Yankee Stadium.

Public address announcer Carl Beane told the fans that the Red Sox mourned Snelgrove’s death and passed along the team’s sympathies to her family.

Soon after, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith sang the national anthem, and Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski threw out the ceremonial first pitch.