FIRST, there was that ridiculous Pretend Opener in Japan. Then the Yankees delivered a victory in their home opener at the Stadium. But now the Real Opener is set for Friday night in Boston.

This is the series everyone has been waiting for since last October’s epic seven-game ALCS ended. And now, as a result of last night’s rainout against the Devil Rays, the Yankees are set, too.

In more ways than one.

Javier Vazquez, the Yankees answer to Curt Schilling, will be right in the middle of the fray. Vazquez was originally set to pitch today against Tampa, but has been moved back to Friday, and Kevin Brown will go this afternoon against the Devil Rays at the Stadium.

And, wouldn’t you know it, Tim Wakefield, who walked off the mound after serving up Aaron Boone’s float-off home run that gave the Yankees the pennant Oct. 16, will be on the mound for the Sawx.

Instead of shaky Jose Contreras starting the series for the Yankees, it will be Vazquez, who appears to have the perfect Yankee demeanor.

Vazquez can’t wait. “The Red Sox are a great team,” the right-hander said shortly after thunder and lightning rained down at the Stadium. “If you can’t wake up for those games, then I don’t think you’re playing baseball.”

Everyone will be awake for this series.

Asked if it was appropriate that he would get the ball Friday, Vazquez smiled and said, “I don’t mind.”

This is the biggest game of Vazquez’ career. Those Expos-Blue Jays affairs didn’t exactly carry the same vibe as Yankees-Red Sox. He has pitched once in Fenway, and said he came away a 3-0 loser to Pedro Martinez, who is not scheduled to pitch in the series. The danger for Vazquez is that this will be just his second start of the year and he might be too rested.

Asked what he thought of the Green Monster, Vazquez said, “It’s all right. I’ll avoid it … As a big-league pitcher you want to be in this type of situation, facing the best and hopefully doing a good job out there.”

Said Joe Torre: “He might as well get it under fire now.”

Torre has the gift of understanding what makes players tick, and knows what components make the ideal Yankee. He loves everything he has seen so far about Vazquez.

“From the first time I met him he was happy to be with the Yankees, but didn’t seem to be out of whack,” Torre said. “Nobody can guarantee results, but at least you know when someone is going out there to ply their trade that they are going to be able to keep it together.”

Keeping it together against the Red Sox is what being a Yankee is all about these days. That is their mantra.

“Yankee Stadium here was a pretty good test for him,” Torre said of Vazquez’ 3-1, home-opener victory over the White Sox. “Again, that doesn’t mean he will win, but I think he’ll have his wits about him and know what he will need to do.”

There is another reason yesterday’s rainout was a good thing for the Yankees. As more than one Yankee told me, the team is still fighting jet lag from the trip to Japan, and as long as the Yankees aren’t rained out today, having the day off yesterday will allow them to finally get into the rhythm of the season, something the Yankees have not been able to do so far. That partially explains the .208 team batting average.

The Yankees are an older team, and older teams take time to bounce back from such a demanding trip.

Taking the field Friday night in Boston will be like a slap in the face. As Vazquez noted, “If you can’t wake up for those games, then I don’t think you’re playing baseball.”

The Real Season starts then, and now the Yankees have the right man on the mound.