New York ? The tallest Yankee ever began the big task of putting the Boston Red Sox back in their place.

Randy Johnson shut down Boston in his New York debut, dominating his new team’s old rival. He outpitched David Wells, got help from Hideki Matsui and a rejuvenated Jason Giambi and led the Yankees over the World Series champions, 9-2, Sunday night in the 2005 season opener.

“I was pretty excited to go out there,” Johnson said.

Already, there were bad omens for the Red Sox: Matsui leaped in left to rob Kevin Millar of a two-run homer in the third, Giambi stretched to reel in two bad throws by shortstop Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez made a diving stop at third on Edgar Renteria’s grounder, and Tino Martinez made a backhanded dive at first to prevent an extra-base hit by Johnny Damon.

By the time Matsui hit a two-run homer off Matt Mantei for an 8-1 lead in the eighth, it was almost piling on.

“We’re not disappointed,” Damon said. “We accept the fact that we really weren’t that good tonight, We’ll get better.”

With Boston taking the field as champion for the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox returned to the scene of their improbable triumph staring directly at the 6-foot-10 Big Unit, brought to the Bronx to help the Yankees win their first title since 2000.

Giambi, back at first base following injury, illness and a reported admission of steroid use, received a pair of standing ovations from the sellout crowd of 54,818 and went 1-for-2 with a single and two hit-by-pitches.

“I had a calm feeling because I knew I did everything I could to get to this point,” he said. “They respect a guy who worked hard to get back to where he was.”

Gary Sheffield, back from offseason shoulder surgery, hit a go-ahead single in a three-run third inning against Wells, and Martinez received two huge ovations in his first game in pinstripes since 2001.

New York Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield is greeted by Derek Jeter after scoring on a hit by Hideki Matsui. The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-2, Sunday in New York to open the 2005 season.

“Who wouldn’t like this?” he said.

Since New York moved within three outs of sweeping the Red Sox in the AL championship series last October, the Red Sox had won eight straight, becoming the first major-league team to overcome a 3-0 postseason deficit, then blowing out St. Louis in the World Series.

But following an offseason of joy in New England, the Red Sox started with a thud, pitching poorly, making a pair of errors and losing their fifth straight season opener. New York had 15 hits off Wells and six relievers.

“It’s the first game we won since Game 3,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “It was a long winter waiting to get on the field again.”

The usual swells and celebrities were on hand to watch the Yankees extend their winning streak in home openers to eight. A sign in left field expressed the hope of New York fans — “1918-2004-2090” — referring to the years of Boston’s last two Series titles and projected date of its next.

“The crowd was ready,” Damon said.

Johnson was a model of quiet focus hours before the game, putting on a black undershirt, then a gray sweat shirt before sitting in front of his new locker near Torre’s office and looking ahead, gathering his thoughts.

He opened with a 93-mph pitch to Damon and struck out Renteria and Manny Ramirez looking in the first, the latter on a smoking 97-mph heater. He got in trouble in the second, when Matsui grabbed Millar’s fly ball, and Jay Payton singled in the season’s first run.

Johnson and Red Sox manager Terry Francona called Matsui’s catch the turning point.

“They don’t play much basketball in Japan,” Jeter said playfully.

“I didn’t know he could jump that high.”