Journey points hold Red Sox caught in Chicago till Friday afternoon

“We made it,” interim supervisor Chad Tracy stated shortly after 6 p.m. “We’re here.”

Payton Tolle added: “We kind of just sat there for a long time.”

And Garrett Whitlock: “Definitely something. I don’t think many of us have experienced that before. But, hey, that’s travel nowadays.”

The saga started after the Sox left the White Sox’ Rate Field after finishing the sweep. The sport ended at 3:43 p.m. CT. Around 6 p.m., they received to Midway International Airport.

Then got here the primary hiccup: A delayed takeoff due to weather-related points. Thunderstorms in New York had triggered periodic floor stoppages (and ensuing backups) all through the day. It handed principally uneventfully.

The Red Sox have been able to go.

“We pushed back,” Tolle stated, “so everybody was really excited about that.”

But on the runway, the tow cart transferring the aircraft suffered from a mechanical situation, per Tracy.

“That turned into I think six-plus hours of sitting there waiting to see if we could get another plane or what,” he stated.

By 1 a.m., the Sox decided there could be no repair. They must strive once more within the morning. The group returned to downtown Chicago, the place Mark Cacciatore, head of group journey, had secured sufficient rooms — throughout two motels — for the whole touring social gathering.

“Give Cacc a lot of credit,” Tracy stated. “He got a lot of people rooms on pretty much no notice, and they were close enough to each other where we coordinated buses in the morning and ended up getting to the airport.”

Bus time Friday, per Tolle was 10 a.m., late sufficient to get most of a full evening of sleep. Everybody was again on the aircraft at Midway by 11 a.m. or so — early sufficient to reach on the ballpark in New York at kind of a standard time.

But then …

“Something with one of the switches or light bulbs in the cockpit was also an issue,” Tracy stated.

Tolle stated: “Same plane, different issue.”

Amid that indefinite delay — in the end about three hours — there was no assure Red Sox-Mets would occur in any respect.

“Obviously, we can’t play in Chicago, so,” Whitlock stated.

The Sox handed the time by enjoying playing cards, strolling up and down the aisle, and making an attempt to make gentle of the scenario.

“At one point, we just looked at each other and started laughing because it was just ridiculous,” Tolle stated. “Wow, what’s going on?”

Whitlock stated: “You just kind of laugh at it. Just because, I mean, none of us are mechanics, none of us are pilots. You just kind of laugh with it and roll with the punches.”

Food was onerous to come back by.

“I had, like, five donuts,” stated Tolle, exasperated however upbeat. “That’s all they had. I was like, we got any protein? And they said not right now. We got donuts for you. That’s right up my alley, though. I don’t mind.”

Eventually, breakfast burritos and a few kind of rooster possibility arrived.

“No, I did not eat five donuts,” stated Whitlock, exasperated and fewer upbeat.

At 1:34 p.m. CT (2:34 p.m. ET), concerning the time they’d have arrived at Citi Field below regular circumstances, the Red Sox’ flight lastly took off. They landed at LaGuardia Airport, the Mets’ neighbor, at 4:45 p.m.

The bus trip to the ballpark was simple, at the very least. The Sox’ tools arrived a number of minutes after they did. The Mets despatched their clubhouse attendants over to the guests’ aspect to make sure all the things was unpacked as rapidly as attainable.

Then got here a condensed pregame scramble: catching up on meals, doing pitchers and hitters game-planning conferences — that are longer and extra essential on the primary day of a sequence — and even some baseball exercise, together with a number of infielders taking floor balls and relievers enjoying catch.

To Tracy, a veteran of the geographically dreadful Triple-A Pacific Coast League, the chaos felt a bit of acquainted. Tolle and Whitlock stated they’d by no means had such an expertise, although delays leaving Denver final month (and turbulence on the best way to Minnesota final summer time) make for an uncommon sequence of journey woes for the Sox.

They regarded ahead to only enjoying baseball.

“You spend 10 hours in an 8-foot [-wide] tube with each other … you get closer,” Tolle stated. “We’re just going to keep playing the baseball that we’ve been playing.”

Whitlock stated: “Throw it back to travel-ball days. You drive and show up wherever you’re going, get out there and play and have fun.”

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Tim Healey might be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.