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(Sports Network) - The 2008 debut of one of baseball's most heated and storied rivalries takes place this evening at Fenway Park, as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees hold the first of 18 regular-season meetings between the hated clubs.

The teams will play a three-game series this weekend in Boston and will also stage a two-game affair at Yankee Stadium beginning on Wednesday.

Boston, of course, ended the Yankees string of nine straight AL East titles a year ago, winning its first division crown since 1995 on the way to its second world championship in four years.

Both teams, though, have gotten off to sluggish starts this season and each had to win on Thursday to get back to .500. Both enter tonight's series at 5-5, 1 1/2 games back of the surprising Baltimore Orioles in the East.

The Red Sox, who placed third baseman and World Series MVP Mike Lowell on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a sprained left thumb, won the rubber match of their three-game set with the Detroit Tigers, 12-6, later in the day.

Sean Casey drove in three runs in the victory, while Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis, J.D. Drew and Coco Crisp all had two RBI for the Red Sox, who rapped out 13 hits in the game and also drew nine walks. Drew was 3-for-3 in the contest.

David Ortiz, though, is hitless in his last 10 at-bats and is mired in a 1- for-22 slump that has dropped his average to .083.

Tim Wakefield (1-0) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings for Boston, which took two of three games in the series. The veteran knuckle-baller issued five walks and fanned five en route to his first win of the season.

Jonathan Papelbon recorded the final four outs for his third save of the season. The Sox closer has been incredible over the course of his young career in the month of April, working 27 1/3 scoreless innings in 25 career appearances during the opening month and allowing only 11 hits with 37 strikeouts over that span. He has also converted all of his 20 save opportunities in April

The Yankees, meanwhile, salvaged the finale of their set with the Kansas City Royals, as Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Melky Cabrera all homered and Andy Pettitte pitched into the seventh inning to guide New York to a 6-1 win.

Pettitte (1-1) allowed just one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings for the Yankees. The left-hander is now a gaudy 12-3 against the Royals in his career.

Joba Chamberlain came on to throw 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief before Mariano Rivera closed things out in the ninth. Chamberlain and Rivera have combined to pitch 9 1/3 scoreless innings this season, giving up five hits and a walk while striking out 10.

New York was once again without shortstop Derek Jeter, who missed his third straight game with a quadriceps injury. Jeter, though, ran before the game and could return at some point this weekend.

Heading the hill tonight for the Yankees will be right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, who has been sensational in his two starts this season. Wang improved to 2-0 Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, as he allowed four hits over six scoreless innings to lower his earned run average to 1.38.

Wang has faced the Red Sox 12 times (11 starts) in his young career and has posted a 5-5 mark against them while pitching to a 4.56 ERA. Wang has struggled in Boston, where he is just 2-3 with a 6.17 ERA in six starts.

Boston will counter with young right-hander Clay Buchholz, who will be making his first-ever start against the Yankees. Buchholz, in just the fourth start of his major-league career, was tagged with the loss in his first appearance of the season on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, giving up four runs (three earned) and six hits in five frames.

The Yankees won 10 of 18 from the Red Sox last season thanks to wins in eight of the final 10 meetings. Boston was 4-5 at home against its rivals a year ago after winning just two of nine contests against them there in 2006.