What the Royals had to say after their brief visit to Fenway Park
The quick resolution had a bright side.
In the visiting manager’s office Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park, Royals manager Ned Yost chuckled at a proposition he had likely never heard before: Even though his team lost, could the game’s finish be considered the best possible scenario?
“Yeah,’’ Yost conceded. “The reality of it is yeah.’’
Holt’s RBI came 12 minutes into the resumption of the suspended game, sending the Sox off to San Diego with a much-needed win under their belt. Although the result ultimately went in Boston’s favor, the outcome also seemingly benefited Kansas City.
Yes, the continuation of the game forced an unplanned detour to Boston and voided his team’s lone off day in a 17-day stretch, but Yost seemed accepting of the circumstances.
After all, an August win for the Royals, who are 32½ games back of the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins, doesn’t carry much weight in the push for playoff berths.
So if the team were to lose, it might as well do so in rapid fashion.
The brevity allowed the Royals to catch an earlier flight to Cleveland, where they will begin a three-game series Friday evening. Had the continuation not been necessary, a team spokesman said, the club would have flown to Cleveland immediately following its game in Baltimore Wednesday night. Instead, the Royals had to board a plane to Boston shortly after midnight and arrived in the city around 1 a.m. Thursday.
Twelve hours later, they were playing baseball.
“I don’t really think there was another solution,’’ said Yost, shrugging. “The only other solution, for me, was just to play it after the season ended. That would make more sense to me than having to disrupt them flying across the country and us flying and not having off-days.
“But we got it over with and it’s done.’’
Considering what could have happened Thursday — Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the thought of 16 innings crossed his mind — things essentially ended up being the least disruptive they could be. The Royals used only one pitcher, reliever Richard Lovelady, who threw nine pitches and faced four batters.
Yost said the brief makeup inning will not impact his approach for Friday, “Not one bit.’’
“I didn’t have to do anything,’’ he said. “I mean, my pitcher, what did he last, 10 pitches?’’
