NOT EVEN CLOSE

YANKS COULD EXPLOIT MASSIVE BULLPEN EDGE OVER RIVAL SOX

TAMPA — Adam Ottavino has made 366 career appearances in the majors, but just one against the Red Sox.

Dealing with Boston’s lineup will be among the right-hander’s primary objectives now that he’s in the Yankees bullpen. While he doesn’t have much experience against the AL East rivals, Ottavino’s history facing the Red Sox goes back a while.

In two of his three seasons at Northeastern University, Ottavino pitched against the Red Sox when the Huskies traveled to Fort Myers to begin their season.

“Even though it was their first spring game and they’re not really ready, I wanted to go out there and give a good showing,” Ottavino said Thursday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

“My freshman year, I was super nervous,” Ottavino said. “I have the tape, and you can see I’m not prepared to be in that environment.”

Ottavino got another shot against the Red Sox as a junior in 2006.

“I know I struck out Gabe Kapler,” Ottavino said. “Coco Crisp was in the lineup, and I remember pitching well that game. I worked really hard between my sophomore and junior year and I was throwing harder. That was a confidence boost. … I was excited and wanted to show what I could do at that point.”

His coach at Northeastern, Neil McPhee, remembered the second outing more vividly, saying Ottavino struck out Manny Ramirez.

Ottavino said he couldn’t recall facing Ramirez, but either way, he followed up the game against the Red Sox with his first outing of Northeastern’s regular season and held Georgia Tech — the No. 1 team in the country — hitless for six innings and whiffed 12 in seven innings.

That set up an excellent campaign that ended with Ottavino being drafted in the first round, 30th overall, by the Cardinals.

With Ottavino spending the first eight years of his career in the National League — seven with the Rockies in the NL West — his lone outing against the Red Sox was a 2 ²/₃-inning relief performance at Fenway Park in 2013, when he allowed a run.

He certainly will be called upon to pitch against the defending champs more this season, and he is looking forward to the opportunity of going up against the best.

“I just want to get out there and pitch,” Ottanvino said. “It doesn’t matter what inning, I’m ready to face the best.”