BOSTON – It’s fitting on so many levels that Tim Wakefield starts Boston’s first World Series game in 18 years tonight.

The most ironic twist is that he would’ve started Game 1 of the Fall Classic last year – if he hadn’t lost Game 7 of the ALCS in the most gut-wrenching way possible.

“It’s kind of nice we run into this situation again,” he said yesterday. “But it’s better to be in this situation and not having what happened last year, having that happen.

“I’m going to try to take full advantage of the opportunity . . . and try to bring this city a world championship.”

Wakefield became a goat in last year’s ALCS loss to the Yankees when he threw a knuckle gopher ball to Aaron Boone. In the early winter, he once wondered if he’d be as despised and unwelcome in this town as Bill Buckner.

That would’ve been a shame, because Wakefield is as selfless as it gets in the majors.

Joe Torre cited Wakefield during his season-ending press conference, saying it’s the flipside to the Yankees’ disappointment that someone like the 38-year-old veteran gets a taste of the World Series.

“It means a lot that Joe would actually mention my name in his interview when they were packing up going home,” Wakefield said. “I have a lot of respect for that man over there.”

Wakefield (12-10, 4.87) is the longest tenured member of the Red Sox, having arrived in Boston in 1995 off the scrap heap after his career hit rock bottom with Pittsburgh. He has thrived in both the bullpen and rotation, partly because of his makeup and partly because of his floater.

“There’s knuckleballers, and then there’s Tim Wakefield,” Doug Mientkiewicz said. “I’ve had some pretty good success against some other knuckleballers, but not Wakey.

“It’s different. He can control it to where he can put it in, he can put it away, he can throw it hard, he can throw it soft.”

Wakefield is the type of guy who would mentor a minor-league knuckleballer, give up a Game 4 playoff start to pitch mop-up in Game 3 – or even pinch-hit for his club, as he has done in the past.

“I always have my spikes on, no matter what,” Wakefield said.

The knuckleballing righty won ALCS Game 5 with three innings of scoreless relief, but the Sox decided to pitch Derek Lowe in Game 7 instead of Wakefield.

“It’s kind of ironic that if Derek doesn’t pitch as well as he does in Game 7, I don’t get to start,” Wakefield said.

The irony is not lost on anyone today.