BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox’s last two productive offensive seasons have coincided with Ron Jackson’s tenure as the Red Sox hitting coach.

The Red Sox have led the majors in runs scored with 961 in 2003 and 949 last year. Last season, they equaled a record for doubles held by the 1930 Cardinals and the 1997 Red Sox with 373, and they led all major league teams with a .282 batting average, a .360 on-base percentage, a .472 slugging percentage, 620 extra-base hits, and 2,072 total bases.

Jackson, the former hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox (1997-98) and Milwaukee Brewers (1999), has unleashed the hounds of hitting, but to hear him talk about it, he hasn’t done anything too earth-shattering.

Well maybe not, but he is helping the Sox do some record shattering.

“I just pay attention to every one of my hitters. I never miss a pitch,” the 51-year-old Jackson said simply. “I’m watching every pitch. If I can see a guy doing something wrong, I can see it right away.

“Each of these guys are individuals and you have to know which ones have tendencies. I’m a suggestion box for hitters. Take it or leave it. Use what you need and throw the rest of it away. It’s sort of like going to the doctor.”

And that – in a nutshell – is the Birmingham, Ala., native’s philosophy as a hitting coach.

“I am another eye for these guys. Each and every one of these guys are going to struggle somewhat in the course of a season,” said the 6-foot Jackson, who played 10 major league seasons for the California Angels, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles.

And if you’re wondering, Jackson’s lifetime big league batting average was .259 in 2,986 at-bats. So how does a career .259 hitter become such an offensive guru and help put the sock in the Sox bats?

Maybe it’s what he learned not to do as a player.

“Back in the days I played, we didn’t have a hitting coach. We had the manager, who did it all, so now it’s good to have another eye for the players,” said Jackson, who spent 11 seasons as a minor league hitting coach. “People don’t realize they need help just like anybody else, even the stars.”

Perhaps it’s that kind of low-key, common sense approach that makes Jackson’s hitters so successful. They certainly seem to have taken to his laissez faire approach. The man who came over to Boston after three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A teams in Albuquerque and Las Vegas has never been a my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy. That seems especially appropriate for the Red Sox fraternity house atmosphere.

Make no mistake. The Sox have some solid sluggers and big-time talent, and Jackson acknowledges that fact often, but mention the team’s hitting prowess and the unassuming Jackson will finally take some credit for the team’s noticeable offensive turnaround the last couple of seasons.

“I’m thankful for the talent, but a lot of these guys were average before they came here, and all they needed was a slight change or adjustment,” said Jackson, who calls David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez the team’s most complete hitters. “It may not be much at all, but it can make all the difference.”

For the last two seasons, Jackson has helped make quite a difference for the Sox. Is he worried that it will be difficult, if not impossible to duplicate the success of the last two years? And what about a letdown after finally winning it all?

“What have you done for me lately is what it’s all about, especially in Boston,” said Jackson. “The fans will make sure you’re hustling the way the game should be played. These guys aren’t going to live off last year. We’re not going to let that happen.”