By Thomas Harding / MLB.com

The ace antidotes: Wilson and Nixon Wilson Nixon The matchup: Yankees 3B Enrique Wilson vs. Red Sox RHP Pedro Martinez; Red Sox RF Trot Nixon vs. Yankees RHP Roger Clemens. Every pitcher has one -- the nondescript guy that they simply can't get out. No one knows why. With all the pregame attention going to Wilson, batting .500 in his career (10-for-20) and 7-for-8 this season against Martinez, and Nixon, who bats .371 (13-for-35) with three homers against Clemens, how will the pitchers keep those thorns out of their sides? The expectation: Wilson and Nixon, complementary players, become superstars when facing future Hall of Famers Martinez and Clemens. Martinez and Clemens tend to be aggressive, however, so expect them to continue it regardless of the numbers. Besides, with Wilson batting leadoff for the Yankees, and Nixon batting seventh, between inspirational leader Kevin Millar and AL batting champ Bill Mueller, the managers are leaving the pitchers with little choice. The result: Wilson and Nixon had the impact that they are supposed to have against two of the game's best -- no impact at all. Manager Joe Torre placed Wilson in the leadoff spot, from which he had seven at-bats all season. But Wilson went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Martinez. Clemens limited Nixon to two grounders to second base. If a Martinez-Clemens matchup occurs in Game 7, there will be another opportunity for this unheralded duo to slip on the proverbial pair of glass spikes and dance their way to the World Series.

Even more, he didn't have to endure a home run trot -- or, as had been the case more times than he cared to remember, a home run by Trot.

He fell behind, 2-0, on Manny Ramirez's two-run single in the first inning, but didn't allow any more runs and struck out seven in six innings of strong work.

As for his nemesis, Nixon -- who entered with three home runs off Clemens, two ground balls to second base were all that happened. Part of it was Clemens was fully aware of Nixon's presence, even though he was sandwiched between the dangerous Kevin Millar and Bill Mueller.

"If I leave a ball out over the plate, regardless if it's Manny or Nomar [Garciaparra], or Trot, they're pretty good hitters," Clemens said.

It wasn't the best of days for Clemens' opposite number, Boston's Pedro Martinez, who gave up four runs and six hits over seven innings. But he, too, faced down his nightmare in the person of Yankees third baseman Enrique Wilson.

Martinez got Wilson to fly out to center field to open the game. Wilson finished 0-for-4, but 0-for-3 against Martinez with two strikeouts.

Yankees manager Joe Torre's move to Wilson was an obvious one. Not only did he have the numbers, but regular third baseman Aaron Boone had a .143 postseason batting average. Where Wilson batted in the order opened some eyes, however.

Wilson had just seven at-bats from the top spot in the order this season. But before the game Torre said he figured he he'd take advantage of Wilson's run of success against Martinez.

This time, Wilson wasn't successful, but Torre and the Yankees wound up feeling comfortable.

Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.