BOSTON (AP) – For once, the Boston Red Sox have history on their side.

Heading into today’s game against the White Sox at Fenway Park, the team that went 86 years between World Series titles is undaunted by Chicago’s 2-0 lead.

After all, these Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees to win the AL championship last year. They’re 8-1 in games in which they faced playoff elimination since 2003.

And they had the best home record in the majors this season.

“Every experience you have helps you,” Boston manager Terry Francona said Thursday. “If players or me or the coaches or somebody can pull something positive from that experience, good.”

The White Sox haven’t been World Series champions since 1917, the year before Boston won it – and they’re not about to get comfortable now.

“When your enemy’s down, you’ve got to keep your enemy down,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. “You make some noise and you wake up the monster, you’re going to be in trouble.”

Freddy Garcia, who pitched much better on the road this season, will try to close out the series for the White Sox. Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will try to prevent that.

“We’ve been in this situation before,” Wakefield said. “Now that we’re back at home playing in front of our home crowd, there’s still a chance.”

Those fans are sure to be chanting “M-V-P! M-V-P!” when David Ortiz comes to bat. They’ll accept “Manny being Manny” whether the quirky Ramirez hits a homer or jogs to first base on a grounder. Both sluggers will be back where they hit best – Ortiz lining doubles high off the left-field wall and Ramirez also going to the opposite field with homers over the low right-field fence.

Ortiz batted .322 at Fenway compared to .278 on the road. Ramirez hit .307 at home and .280 on the road.

The Red Sox scored just six runs in the first two games of the series – losing 14-2 and 5-4 – after leading the majors in batting average. Now they must face Garcia, who was 10-3 with a 3.40 ERA on the road and 4-5 with a 4.38 ERA at home.

“That’s why I picked Freddy to pitch in the road trip,” Guillen said. “Hopefully, he continues to do what he’s been doing all year long.”

Garcia won his last two starts and hasn’t lost in his last four.

“It’s an exciting ballpark to play,” said Garcia, who hasn’t faced Boston this year but is 6-2 in his career. “Those people here are crazy.”

Wakefield was 16-12 with a 4.15 ERA and pitched very well until last Saturday, when he struggled against the Yankees on three days rest.

“Coming into Game 3 down 2-0, there’s a little bit more pressure,” Wakefield said, but “we’re playing at home where we’ve played the best all year.”

So close to achieving their goal – a berth in the ALCS – the White Sox expect to be relaxed.

“I don’t see us being tight,” Paul Konerko said. “We know we’re in a good spot.”

In 2003, the Red Sox won the ALDS after losing the first two games to Oakland. They also beat the Yankees in Game 6 of the ALCS that year then shocked New York last year by coming back from the 3-0 ALCS deficit.

Most of the starting position players have been with Boston all three seasons. But the pitchers are much different, and that has been a problem.

In last year’s four postseason wins against the Yankees, Derek Lowe had two starts and Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling made one each.

Then Boston let Martinez and Lowe leave as free agents, and Schilling hasn’t been at his best all season after coming back from ankle surgery last November.

“The three years that I’ve been here, this team always has been hitting well,” Ortiz said. “They let Pedro and D-Lowe go. That was the question: How our pitching would be.”

Boston’s 4.74 ERA was 11th best in the AL, while Chicago’s 3.61 tied Cleveland for the league lead.

The White Sox have no interest in seeing Schilling pitch Saturday against Jon Garland in a possible fourth game. A fifth game would be Sunday in Chicago.

A.J. Pierzynski hit two homers in the opener when the White Sox kept piling on runs. He wants to see the same approach Friday.

“You can’t let up at all,” he said. “They’ve got experience. They’ve come back before. They’re not going to quit.”

Notes: Matt Clement, who allowed eight runs in 3 1-3 innings in the opener, is expected to work out of the bullpen the rest of the series. Wells could get another start on three days rest if there is a fifth game.

AP-ES-10-06-05 1949EDT

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