Tim Wakefield has played a mop-up role in the postseason. He's even been the last guy out of the bullpen for manager Terry Francona in the AL Championship Series.

But tonight Wakefield will get the opportunity to throw the first pitch as the Red Sox starter in Game 1 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. And while he's had his ups and downs this year, it appears he's never been more ready to take the ball.

After winning his final start of the season, Wakefield took one for the team as a middle reliever in the Yankees' 19-8 blowout of the Red Sox in Game 3 of the ALCS, then he responded with three innings of shutout relief in the Sox' huge 14-inning victory in Game 5.

"Not only is he a very good guy," Francona said of Wakefield's willingness to pitch on demand, "But he's a very good pitcher and he's feeling very good about himself. There were some periods this year that were a little rough on him. But he feels good about himself. His confidence is high. I think he's going to throw a very good game."

Wakefield struggled down the stretch, going 0-3 with two no-decisions before beating the Baltimore Orioles on Oct. 1, allowing two runs on six hits in six innings.

Doug Mirabelli, who has been Wakefield's personal catcher for the past couple years, believes the knuckleballer has turned the corner.

"Obviously, it's all about his knuckleball and how much it's moving, but it's crisper and it's coming out of his hand right. It doesn't have the rotation that it was having earlier in the year when he was struggling," Mirabelli said. "His confidence is a lot higher and all this plays into him being able to go out and pitch a great game. There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to go out and pitch like Tim Wakefield pitches, like he has in the last four years."

There's also the theory that the Cardinals will have an especially hard time hitting Wakefield, having not seen his knuckler all year. But the veteran right-hander downplayed any perceived advantage.

"The first time facing guys can be a little tough for both of us, because I don't know how they are going to approach me," said Wakefield, who finished the season with a 12-10 record and 4.87 ERA. "It's a tough situation. I don't think there's anybody over there that I haven't faced over my career. (Jim) Edmonds, I've faced him a lot, whether it's regular season or spring training. A lot of those guys I've faced before."

The weather forecast could be a concern. It's expected to be cloudy with the temperature dropping down to the mid-40s.

"As long as it's not raining too bad, it should be OK," Wakefield said. "It's tough holding on to a ball with your fingertips when it could be cold and maybe a little bit dryer than it is right now. I think the humidity might help a little bit. But I think it's going to be tough conditions for both pitchers."

Regardless of the weather, Wakefield's teammates are pleased he will be getting the ball in Game 1.

"We asked a tremendous amount of him in the last series, and he threw a lot of pitches in different ways," catcher Jason Varitek said.

"Tim's been through the war quite a bit and he's been through the war in this city for a long time, and I couldn't be happier for him."