KANSAS CITY (AP) - More than 41,000 fans got on their feet and gave Gil Meche a standing ovation.

Very few of them would ever admit to being among the critics who accused Kansas City of paying too much for the 28-year-old right-hander. The big deal paid off, for one outing at least.

In his first start since the Royals gave him a club-record five-year, $55 million contract, Meche went 71/3 solid innings and led his new team to a 7-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox and an ineffective Curt Schilling.

Settling down after a shaky first inning, Meche gave up six hits and one run. He struck out six and walked only one in the longest outing by a Kansas City starter on opening day since 1988.

"I’ve never admitted to being nervous before a game … but this one was a little nerve-racking," he said. "I felt fine until I actually got across the white lines and thought to myself, ‘This is opening day. This is a big deal.’

"I’ve always been nervous opening day, and I’ve never pitched opening day."

When he was relieved by Joel Peralta with one on and one out in the eighth, the crowd stood and applauded.

"It was great, something I’ll never forget, being a part of this," Meche said. "The standing ovation was an unbelievable feeling for me."

Mark Grudzielanek went 3 for 5 and drove in three runs and Tony Pena Jr. hit two triples in his Royals debut as Schilling lasted just four innings. The six-time All-Star gave up five runs on eight hits, with two walks and five strikeouts in his shortest outing in almost a decade.

"Physically, I felt fine. I just didn’t execute and didn’t adjust," Schilling said. "One thing I’ve always preached to young pitchers is about the ability to make a mistake on a pitch and come back and make an adjustment on the very next pitch. I didn’t do that today."

Grudzielanek, the second baseman who won his first Gold Glove last season, had an RBI single in the second inning and then put the Royals on top 5-1 in the fourth with a two-run double. He also scored twice, on Schilling’s bases-loaded walk in the first and Mark Teahen’s RBI single in the sixth.

Grudzielanek underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee March 5 and was initially expected to miss the first month or so.

"I’m sure Curt didn’t have his good stuff," Grudzielanek said. "I had the approach in the past where I was way too aggressive with him. I tried to really make sure I got a pitch that I could hit."

With his first pitch in the major leagues, Boston reliever Hideki Okajima gave up a home run to John Buck leading off the sixth.

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