McAdam: For a brief period at least, fun returns to Fenway

It was, when all was said and done, what Red Sox baseball has seldom been in 2019: affordable, quick, and ultimately, successful.

It took, depending on your perspective, either 15 days or 12 minutes for the Red Sox to edge the Kansas City Royals, 5-4 in 10 innings in a game that had been suspended because of rain back on Aug. 7, and completed Thursday.

After reliever Josh Taylor -- who was on the mound when the game was halted better than two weeks earlier -- retired the Royals in order on 13 pitches in the top of the inning, the Red Sox went to work as though they had a plane to catch. Which, of course, they did — a charter waiting to take them to San Diego and the start of an eight-game West Coast road trip.

The ballpark had a festive feel to it, in part because the Red Sox had wisely slashed adult tickets to $5 -- with proceeds to benefit the Jimmy Fund -- and allowed kids in for free. It was the kind of atmosphere found in places like Oakland, Pittsburgh and Miami, where they often have Kids Camp Day to fill seats on hot midweek afternoons, and the sweet sounds of 10-year-olds fill the ballpark.

With the bleachers almost entirely empty and hot dogs selling for $1, one fan noted: "It felt like 1966 again.''

In a chaotic clubhouse, as equipment trunks and suitcases clogged what little space was available, player after player noted the energy level and the noise brought by the young fan base.

Third base coach Carlos Febles, who in a comical moment, stepped, unannounced, in front of cameras and reporters to talk about his decision — a no-brainer -- to send pinch-runner Chris Owings from second on a Brock Holt's game-winning single to left, noted that the Fenway atmosphere was the best it had been all year and credited the noise level from the young fans for energizing the dugout.

"That's what it's all about,'' said Alex Cora of the high turnout of children in the stands. "It's a game and we have to do everything possible to get the young fans involved in this beautiful game.''

In a season in which the Red Sox have averaged the longest average time-of-game and played more games over four hours than any other club, Cora experienced a momentary sinking feeling on his drive to the ballpark.

"You guys know me by now,'' said Cora. "I'm very optimistic. For whatever negative, I try to find a positive. (But) it crossed my mind at one point the way things have been going, we might play 16 innings (today).''

Instead, it was over in a flash. Andrew Benintendi struck out, Christian Vazquez doubled, pinch-hitter Sam Travis walked, and after Owings replaced Vazquez as a pinch-runner, a ringing, opposite-field single from Holt scored Owings easily.

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From there, it was pandemonium on the field. The Sox celebrated wildly, as much, probably, out of relief that it took so little time.

Talk about pace of play.

"For those kids (in the stands),'' said Cora, "it was probably their first big league inning. That's what they're going to remember. ... We've got to remind them this is not the pace we play. We usually play four-hour games.''

The win helped take at least some of the sting out of a desultory two-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies the previous two nights. If you have to make a cross-country flight, it's better to do it fresh off a walk-off win than to dwell on a two-game losing streak.

Taylor, who had been on the mound in the top of the 10th when the game was halted 15 days ago, resumed the position again Thursday afternoon, and in so doing, likely became the first pitcher in major league history to serve as both the opener and the closer in the same game.

After the Red Sox' bus had left for the ballpark, thousands of kids took turns running the bases in the sweltering weather. Families posed for photos on the field. The concession lines remained active.

The only unhappy people, presumably, were the Royals, who took a detour from their last series in Baltimore, en route to their next in Cleveland, and for their efforts, got saddled with one more loss in a season already chock-full of them.

Other than that, there were few complaints.

''That was fun, that was fun,'' concluded Cora with a smile.

Indeed it was. And how often have we been able to say that this season?