BOSTON – Mike Mussina will start Game 1 of the Division Series rather than Game 162 of the regular season. Jaret Wright will replace Mussina against the Red Sox today, with the possibility that a strong start to close the schedule will open a roster spot for him in the playoffs.

The Yankees clinched the AL East with an 8-4 win at Fenway yesterday, but today’s game was still loaded with meaning and decisions.

If the Yanks were to beat the Red Sox today and the Indians were to beat the White Sox, then Cleveland and Boston would meet in a one-game playoff Monday to determine the wild card. It is in the Yanks’ interest to force whichever team makes the playoffs to enter in a weaker state and, possibly, to bar the Red Sox from the postseason entirely. Nevertheless, Joe Torre’s team has not had an off day since Sept. 12 and had played 19 pressure-packed games in a row.

So since the pressure is mostly off the Yanks today (though home field for the first round is still in play), Torre said he would prioritize resting tired bodies. However, he noted that after clinching the AL Central, the White Sox played lesser lineups against the Indians the past two days and won games that Cleveland desperately needed to take. And, Torre said, he would not hesitate to use Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera to close a game if victory were possible.

Still, Torre’s main concerns are elsewhere:

1. He wants Mussina’s experience Tuesday in Game 1 and also wants him to rest his touchy elbow further. 2. He wants to see Wright’s stuff to determine if the righty could be a bullpen component in the division series. 3. He would love to find a few lefty-on-lefty spots for Al Leiter and Alan Embree to further galvanize his playoff roster decisions. 4. He wants to consult with coaches Joe Girardi and Don Mattingly to determine which of the regular grinders among Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Bernie Williams, Gary Sheffield and Jorge Posada most need off time.

“We are not going to throw our hands up and play cards in the clubhouse,” Torre said. “We are going to try [and win today]. But it is so much more important to make sure we are physically ready to play Tuesday.”

Today’s starters

Jared Wright vs. Red Sox

Rec ERA G IP H R ER K BB HR BAA

2005 1-0 3.60 1 5.0 6 2 2 2 4 1 .316

Career 1-3 7.23 8 37.1 42 30 30 24 21 6 .292

Curt Schilling vs. Yankees

Rec ERA G IP H R ER K BB HR BAA

2005 1-2 5.17 4 15.2 16 9 9 13 3 4 .254

Career 4-4 4.83 14 63.1 60 34 34 61 25 11 .247