Josh Beckett is Mr. Zero when October rolls around.

The MVP of the 2003 World Series pitched his second consecutive postseason shutout and, backed by a home run from David Ortiz, led the Boston Red Sox over the Los Angeles Angels 4–0 last night in their AL playoff opener.

Beckett retired 19 consecutive batters after a leadoff single, allowed just four hits and ran his postseason scoreless streak to 18 innings. The last time he pitched on such a stage, he blanked the New York Yankees to clinch the ’03 Series for Florida.

The last pitcher with consecutive postseason shutouts was current teammate Curt Schilling, who threw one for the Phillies in 1993 and Arizona in 2001. Christy Mathewson is the only pitcher with four postseason shutouts; Beckett tied Whitey Ford and Mordecai Brown with three.

Ortiz, who eliminated the Angels with a 10th-inning, seriesending homer in the first round of the 2004 playoffs, homered off John Lackey. Kevin Youkilis set the tone with a homer in the first inning against the Angels ace.

The victory was Boston’s seventh straight in the postseason over the California-Anaheim-Los Angeles Angels, having come back from a 3-1 deficit to win in the 1986 AL playoffs and then sweeping them in the 2005 best-of-five first round.

The only 20-game winner in the majors this year, Beckett struck out eight and walked none.

“That guy was very impressive. He’s been like that all year,” Ortiz said.

Lackey allowed four runs, nine hits and two walks, striking out four in six innings.

Game 2 will be Friday, with rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka facing the Angels’ Kelvim Escobar.

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ROCKIES 4, PHILLIES 2 Bandbox or not, this was no day for hitters. Jeff Francis held the league’s highest-scoring team in check and the Colorado Rockies took advantage of one shaky inning by Cole Hamels to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series yesterday.

“Who would’ve thought a good old-fashioned National League game would break out in this ballpark?” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.

Making just the second postseason appearance in their 15-year history, the Rockies played like October regulars. Colorado posted its second playoff victory, the other coming in 1995, and won for the 15th time in 16 games.

Matt Holliday, his chin still cut up from the face-first slide that won Monday’s wild-card tiebreaker over San Diego, hit a solo home run.

“Any time you expect a slugfest, you get a pitching duel,” Holliday said.

Francis pitched six effective innings and stayed out of big trouble, mostly by shutting down the Phillies’ top hitters.

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins combined to go 0-for-11 with eight strikeouts. Utley, a .332 hitter, struck out four times for the second time in his career. Francis’ lone problems came in the fifth when Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell hit consecutive homers. The left-hander gave up four hits and struck out eight. Once the 17-game winner departed, three relievers pitched three hitless innings, with Manny Corpas closing for a save.