Red Sox need just 12 minutes to finish off Royals

By Gethin Coolbaugh The Associated Press

5 years ago

Boston Red Sox's Brock Holt, right, celebrates his game-winning RBI single with Christian Vazqu ... — Boston Red Sox’s Brock Holt, right, celebrates his game-winning RBI single with Christian Vazquez during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals that was suspended by rain with the scored tied on Aug. 8, and continued at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox’s Brock Holt celebrates his game-winning RBI single during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals that was suspended by rain with the scored tied on Aug. 8, and continued at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox’s Christian Vazquez celebrates his double during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals that was suspended by rain with the scored tied on Aug. 8, and continued at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The Red Sox beat the Royals 5-4. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox’s Brock Holt runs on his game-winning RBI single during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals that was suspended by rain with the scored tied on Aug. 8, and continued at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Fans walk on the warning track before a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals that was suspended by rain in the tenth inning with the scored tied on Aug. 8, is continued at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox’s Brock Holt, center, celebrates is game-winning RBI single during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals that was suspended by rain with the scored tied on Aug. 8, and continued at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The Red Sox beat the Royals 5-4. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

BOSTON — Brock Holt helped the Red Sox make quick work of the Kansas City Royals in a victory that was two weeks in the making.

Holt hit an RBI single with one out in the 10th inning as Boston beat Kansas City 5-4 on Thursday to complete the weather-suspended game that began Aug. 7.

“We wanted to end it as quick as possible,” said Holt, who hopped on a flight to San Diego with his teammates after the game. “It was probably the best outcome we could have had today.”

The original contest was halted after a 1 hour, 49 minute-rain delay early on Aug. 8 with the score tied 4-4 and nobody out in the top of the 10th inning. Royals catcher Meibrys Viloria was facing a 2-1 count against Red Sox reliever Josh Taylor.

Play resumed 14 days, 14 hours and 18 minutes later when Taylor (1-1) lobbed a ball to Nick Dini, who pinch hit for Viloria and lined out to first base.

“It’s weird, especially when I was anticipating facing a lefty (Viloria) and then they bring in a righty (Dini),” Taylor said.

Taylor struck out Ryan O’Hearn and pinch hitter Bubba Starling grounded out to end the Royals’ inning. Starling took the spot of nine-hole hitter Billy Hamilton, who went 2 for 4 with a strikeout on Aug. 7 but was designated for assignment on Aug. 16.

Christian Vazquez doubled to center field after Andrew Benintendi struck out looking to lead off Boston’s 10th. Richard Lovelady (0-3) intentionally walked pinch hitter Sam Travis before Holt singled on a line drive to left field to score Chris Owings, who was pinch running for Vazquez.

The official time of game was 3:48, with only 12 minutes being played Thursday.

“The way things have been going, (I thought) we might play 16 innings,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, whose team lost 14 of 22 coming in. “But I’m glad Christian put a good swing and then Brock put a good swing.”

Viloria’s two-run single in the third inning on Aug. 7 gave Kansas City a 2-0 lead. J.D. Martinez tied it with a two-run homer in the fourth and Xander Bogaerts’ two-run double made it 4-2 in the fifth.

Whit Merrifield singled in a run in the sixth and Nicky Lopez doubled in the seventh to knot the score at 4. Play was eventually stopped at 10:47 p.m. and the game was suspended at 12:36 a.m.

With Kansas City nearly 30 games out of a playoff spot, manager Ned Yost suggested after the suspension that the teams wait until the end of the season to see if completing the game was necessary. “That’s the smart thing to do,” Yost said on Aug. 8.

Before Thursday, Boston’s most recent suspended game was April 16, 2010, at home against Tampa Bay and resumed the following day. Kansas City’s last suspended game, an Aug. 31, 2014, home contest versus Cleveland, was completed that Sept. 22.