BOSTON (AP) — David Ortiz curled his second homer of the game around the Pesky Pole to break a ninth-inning tie and give the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

It was Ortiz’s 10th career game-ending homer and a franchise-record ninth with the Red Sox. Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx had eight.

All-Star Tim Wakefield pitched seven strong innings in his return from the disabled list, but the 43-year-old knuckleballer was deprived of a win when Jayson Nix homered off reliever Ramon Ramirez to make it 2-2 in the eighth.

Daniel Bard (1-1) earned his first career victory with 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief.

Tony Pena (1-2) struck out Kevin Youkilis to start the ninth, then gave up Ortiz’s homer. Ortiz, who hit a solo homer in the second, stopped to clap his hands once and then circled the bases before he was greeted at home plate by his teammates.

Alex Gonzalez also homered for Boston, which beat Chicago for the third straight time and dropped the White Sox (63-64) below .500 for the first time since June 28.

The Red Sox opened the game with a tribute to U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, honoring a lifelong fan whose family was as much a part of Boston history as the team itself. Kennedy, who died Tuesday night after a long bout with brain cancer, threw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day 97 years after his grandfather, Boston mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald christened the ballpark that is now the oldest in the major leagues.

A lone Air Force bugler played “Taps” as both teams lined up on the baselines – a tradition usually reserved for playoff games or opening day.

The somber beginning and the raucous ending provided emotional bookends to a game that marked the return of Wakefield, who was selected for his first All-Star game but hasn’t pitched since the midseason break because of a lower back injury.

Wakefield was activated from the disabled list before the game, and the first sign his knuckleball was active was when his first pitch squirted away from new catcher Victor Martinez.

He gave up his only run in the first when Gordon Beckham reached on an end-of-the-bat single and Paul Konerko tripled. Wakefield allowed just one ball out of the infield until A.J. Pierzynski doubled off the Green Monster with two outs in the sixth.

Gavin Floyd nearly matched Wakefield, but he allowed two solo homers among his five hits, walking one and striking out four in six innings. He put runners on first and second with one out in the sixth, but he got Youkilis on a fly ball to center and struck out Ortiz to keep it a one-run game.

Chicago put runners on first and second in the seventh, but Alexei Ramirez popped out to shortstop and Wakefield left with a 2-1 lead and to a big ovation from the crowd – and handshakes in the dugout.

Nix tied it in the eighth, and Chicago had a runner on third when Bard relieved Ramirez and struck out Jim Thome with a 101 mph fastball to end the inning.

NOTES: RHP Enrique Gonzalez was designated for assignment to make room for Wakefield. … Ortiz has the seventh-most homers against the White Sox among active players, tied with Troy Glaus with 21.

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