There is a certain unintended symmetry to the fact that David Price is scheduled to pitch the home opener for the Red Sox on Thursday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays.

It has been two months since Price sat a picnic table in Fort Myers, Fla., a week before spring training and acknowledged he should have handled things differently last season; that he was too quick to anger and said things he regretted.

That he understood the need to change was evident, but so was the only thing that ultimately mattered.

“If I go out there and pitch well, I’ll get the fans back,’’ Price said. “I can do whatever I want off the field, but if I go out and pitch the way I’m capable of pitching, they won’t care.’’

In the time since, Price has pitched well, been a firm supporter of the changes instituted by new manager Alex Cora, and mended his relations with the media.

Whether it was at JetBlue Park or one of the fields out back, he heard only words of support from fans during spring training. When he started the second game of the regular season, Price pitched seven shutout innings.

“For me, David has been amazing on and off the field,’’ Cora said.

But the home opener is its own test. Like Catholics who show up for church only on Christmas and Easter, opening the gates to Fenway Park brings out congregants who won’t be seen again for months but will make sure their presence is noted. That’s true in the press box as well as the stands.

That Price will be on the mound is perfect. It’s a new season and here he still is.

“It might as well be me,’’ Price said Tuesday night after the Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins to improve to 5-1. “I was going to pitch at home at some point, right?’’

Cora didn’t plan it that way; it’s how the schedule fell after six games on the road. But he welcomes it.

“I’m glad that he’s pitching on Thursday,’’ Cora said. “Have the home opener, go out there and perform.’’

From the day he was hired in October, Cora pushed the issues from last season to the side. He painted it as being respectful of former manager John Farrell, but it also served as a way to give Price a fresh start.

Price made accommodations, too. Instead of limiting his interaction with reporters to only the days he pitched, which was the case for much of last season, he made himself available every day of spring training.

Price also stopped snapping back at critics on social media. Starve a troll and they slither away.

“He understands what we want from him and all the conversations I have with him are about this year’s team,’’ Cora said.

Cora met with Price, Chris Sale, and Rick Porcello in person well before spring training started and explained how he wanted to change their preparations. His plan was to cut down on needless throwing with an eye on the starters having more to give in September and beyond.

That none have a World Series ring made Cora’s plan easy to accept. He drove that point home on Feb. 13, the day pitchers and catchers reported. Cora told the group that only reliever Brandon Workman had been part of a championship team.

“You look around the group and we had Cy Young Award winners, a Rookie of the Year, all these great individual awards. But they haven’t got the big one,’’ Cora said. “I think that got their attention.’’

It resonated with Price. He is a five-time All-Star and a Cy Young winner who landed a record contract. But he has not earned a championship.

When Price signed with the Red Sox, he said they offered his best chance to win. Two division titles are not enough.

“I can’t speak for David or Chris, but we know the expectations,’’ Porcello said. “I’ve seen the ways those guys have worked. They get it.’’

Cora also told the starters, including Price, that he wanted them to be better team leaders and take on the responsibility of prodding Eduardo Rodriguez and other young pitchers when needed.

Backstage, as Cora put it, there is a lot going on. There is in front of the curtain, too.

The elbow injury that limited Price to 11 starts last season and led to his being used in relief is no longer a concern.

“It’s exciting,’’ he said. “To be able to throw my bullpens and enjoy playing catch without having to grit my teeth, it’s a relief. I’m back doing what I want to be doing. Being a starter, that’s what I know.’’

As Houston’s bench coach, Cora saw Price throw 6⅔ innings of scoreless relief in the Division Series against a lineup that tortured other pitchers throughout October.

That’s the pitcher he is watching again now.

“One of the best in baseball,’’ Cora said.

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski traded for Price in 2014 when he was running the Tigers. He then signed Price in 2015 after being hired by the Sox.

To the degree an executive can know a player, Dombrowski knows Price.

“Last year was very unusual for him,’’ he said. “Being around him this year reminds me of the player he was in the past. He stepped forward and admitted some mistakes. But you can’t keep talking about it. It’s time to move on.

“For me, it’s like we added a player.’’

In the end, Price and Boston is a partnership that needs to work for both the player and the team.

Price has the right to opt out of his contract after this season, something he has said repeatedly he has no plans to do. That is a stock answer for any athlete, because what else could they say?

But it’s also a realistic appraisal of his situation.

Price is signed for four more seasons and a guaranteed $127 million. That’s an average annual value of $31.75 million.

The only way opting out would make sense would be having firm assurance a better deal could be had in free agency at the age of 33.

That seems unlikely given a market that was decidedly unfriendly to older players during the offseason.

Jake Arrieta, at 32, was signed for three years and a guaranteed $75 million by the Philadelphia Phillies, but not until March 12. If the team picks up his two option years, the deal would be worth $115 million.

If all incentives are reached, Arrieta could receive as much as $135 million over five seasons, an average annual value of $27 million.

He was the outlier. No other pitcher signed for more than $57 million.

Price has thrown 1,826⅔ innings in his career counting the postseason. That’s 613 more innings than Arrieta, the equivalent of roughly three seasons. Price also would be a year older and pitching with an elbow issue that was managed by rehabilitation, not surgery.

“I want to be here and I want to win here,’’ Price said. “I’m looking forward to being back at Fenway. We have a chance to do special things. I personally won’t be satisfied until we do that. The rest is meaningless.’’

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.