It took Tim Wakefield 10 seasons in Boston to get the opportunity to start his first World Series game, but his pitching line in the Red Sox' 11-9 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park is probably something he'd care to forget.

The knuckleball pitcher allowed five runs on three hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings and was removed when he struggled to hold a 7-2 lead. The advantage slipped away under reliever Bronson Arroyo, as did a 9-7 lead in the eighth, but the Sox rallied to win Game 1 on Mark Bellhorn's two-run homer.

Wakefield tied a pair of World Series records when he walked four batters in the fourth inning, including three in a row to open the frame. Pitchers have walked four in an inning 10 times in World Series play, with the last one being Anaheim's Jarrod Washburn in the first inning of Game 5 in 2002. Eight pitchers have walked three consecutive batters, with Washburn also being the last to do so.

The Sox scored three runs in the third inning, but the Cardinals took advantage of the walks and responded with three of their own in the fourth to knock out Wakefield with a slim 7-5 advantage.

"When you score, the last thing you want to do is walk somebody, and you walk three," manager Terry Francona said. "We put ourselves in a tough spot. . . . It's hard to walk people and get away with it."

Pitching coach Dave Wallace said the cold weather, strong winds and sitting for extended periods on the bench while the Sox were at the plate all contributed to Wakefield's loss of effectiveness.

"It was one of those crazy nights that affected everybody," Wallace said. "I don't know if it was the wind or the cold or a combination of the long innings, but it was tough for him to get a feel. But he'll never use it as an excuse. He's that type of professional."