Through two games, Johnny Damon’s most memorable at-bat is a flyout to center.

Last night, Damon worked Jon Lieber for a remarkable 16 pitches before making an out, a riveting but ultimately futile effort that characterized Damon’s struggles.

The Boston leadoff hitter is 0-for-8 with five whiffs in the ALCS, and the Sox are now in a 2-0 series hole after the 3-1 loss to the Yankees.

“Number one, I’ve got to get my game going,” Damon said. “I’m better than that.

“They knew a big way to beat our team is to stop me. … As soon as I start swinging, it’s going to be different.”

Damon’s marathon confrontation taxed Lieber for more pitches than the Yankee starter had worked in any other entire inning to that point. But the Sox could only muster moral victories off Lieber and their rivals, because Pedro Martinez just wasn’t good enough, and neither was the offense.

Damon, who whiffed in all four of his Game 1 at-bats, at least gave the Sox hope that Lieber could be extended and knocked out of the game. They chased Lieber in the seventh and scored a run but couldn’t get the back-breaking extra-base hit.

The Sox need the results they received in the ALDS from their leadoff hitter, who batted .304 with 20 homers and 94 RBIs in the regular season.

With two outs and a man on third in the eighth, Mariano Rivera entered to face Damon, who was torrid in the ALDS. He looked like an injured man while he was flailing away at Rivera’s stuff. He struck out looking on a 93 mph fastball.

Damon had at least two hits in each of the three ALDS games, going .467 (7-for-15) with a double, three stolen bases and four runs scored. He started the winning rally in the 10th inning of Game 3 with a single off Francisco Rodriguez. “It starts with me,” he said. “I take full responsibility for these two games.”

JOHNNY DAMON’S NUMBERS IN FIRST TWO GAMES:

AB – 8

HITS – 0

SO – 5