"There were two important firsts last night at Fenway Park.

Only one went well.

John Smoltz, making his first home start as a member of the Red Sox, was lit up by the visiting Oakland A's in a 6-0 loss. He allowed five runs and 10 hits in six innings.

Nomar Garciaparra, making his first Fenway appearance since he was traded nearly five years ago, was showered with a long and loud standing ovation in his first plate appearance leading off the second inning as the A's designated hitter. In his second at-bat, the former Sox shortstop knocked in the first run off Smoltz in what developed into a four-run fourth inning.

Oakland, the AL West cellar-dwellar, received superior pitching from young left-hander Brett Anderson, who allowed the AL East-leading Sox just two hits in notching the complete-game shutout.

"Pretty impressive," Smoltz said of Garciaparra's reception, not his start. "I've always heard this place is amazing for players that played here, played hard and came back. It was long. I was prepared for it. It was really long. Nomar was appreciative of it because I don't think anyone can prepare themselves for something like that and I knew how jacked up he was. I was trying to prey off that a little bit. . . . I'm glad for him."

The fourth-inning run knocked in by Garciaparra put an end to a 23-inning streak in which Smoltz did not allow a run at Fenway. He made six prior appearances for the Atlanta Braves, four as a starter.

"I felt like I was going to keep putting zeroes up. I enjoy pitching here," Smoltz said. "In the fourth inning, everything happened pretty fast. It was like 'Wow, all right, that's over with. Let's try to keep it at one run.' "

Smoltz is in the midst of a fine-tuning process that he believes is nearing its end. He has made three starts this season, posting an 0-2 record and 6.60 ERA. The numbers, especially last night's, do not reflect how Smoltz is progressing, even if it is sometimes not apparent to the naked eye.

"I felt in control, I threw the ball really well and didn't have much to show for it tonight," Smoltz said. "And as mad as I get, I have to make sure to realize that I'm making a lot of progress even though the results don't look like that.""