The tallest Yankee ever began the big task of putting the Boston Red Sox back in their place.

Randy Johnson shut down Boston in his New York debut, dominating his new team’s old rival. He out pitched David Wells, got help from Hideki Matsui and a rejuvenated Jason Giambi, and led the Yankees over the World Series champions 9-2 last night in the major league opener.

Already, there were bad omens for the Red Sox: Matsui leaped in left to rob Kevin Millar of a two-run homer in the third, Giambi stretched to reel in two bad throws by shortstop Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez made a diving stop at third on Edgar Renteria, and Tino Martinez made a backhand dive at first to prevent an extra-base hit by Johnny Damon.

By the time Matsui hit a two-run homer off Matt Mantei for an 8-1 lead in the eighth inning, it was almost piling on.

With Boston taking the field as champions for the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox returned to the scene of their improbable triumph staring directly at the 6-foot-10 Big Unit, brought to the Bronx to help the Yankees win their first title since 2000.

Giambi, back at first base following injury, illness, and a reported admission of steroid use, received a pair of standing ovations from the sellout crowd of 54,818 and went 1-for-2 with a single and two hit-by-pitches.

Gary Sheffield, back from off-season shoulder surgery, hit a go-ahead single in a three-run third inning against Wells, and Martinez received two huge ovations in his first game in pinstripes since 2001.

The Yankees, with the first $200 million payroll in baseball history, had a former All-Star in every spot in its starting lineup, the first time that happened in the major leagues since the Yankees did it on July, 24, 2003, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. In all, it added up to 53 All-Star appearances.

Johnson opened with a 93-mph pitch to Damon, and struck out Renteria and Manny Ramirez looking in the first, the latter on a smoking 97-mph heater. He got in trouble in the second, when Matsui grabbed Millar’s fly ball and Jay Payton singled in the season’s first run.

But Bernie Williams’s sacrifice fly tied the score in the bottom half, and the Yankees took a 4-1 lead in the third on Sheffield’s double, Matsui’s RBI single, and a bases-loaded balk by Wells, who stepped back to start his windup and then stopped.

Rodriguez, vilified by Boston during the off-season and spring training, added a run-scoring single in the sixth off Blaine Neal and scored on Ruben Sierra’s double.

Johnson allowed the one run and five hits in six innings and struck out six. Tanyon Sturtze and Tom Gordon finished with one-hit relief.

Wells, who pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in 1998 and helped the Yankees win the World Series that year, was starting in place of Curt Schilling, who is still recovering from surgery that followed the title. Wells made a shaky debut, allowing four runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

It was a night of milestones – the first night opener at Yankee Stadium and the first time the Red Sox played as defending champions since 1919.