BOSTON – If this was indeed Curt Schilling’s final turn on the Fenway stage, it should be remembered fondly by the locals.

OK, so Schilling, rapidly nearing his 41st birthday, didn’t go the distance the way he would have in his prime.

He didn’t dominate the Colorado Rockies with top-shelf stuff the way Josh Beckett did in the World Series opener.

He didn’t even have any memorable props, a la the famed Bloody Sock Game of 2004.

But the Loquacious One did get the first 16 outs, did leave with the lead and did pocket his 11th career postseason win (against just two losses) after his Boston Red Sox held on for a 2-1 victory in Thursday’s Game 2.

That sends them out west to the Mountain Time Zone with a 2-0 series lead and no doubt thinking sweep.

For that the Red Sox also can thank Mike Lowell and the two relievers (Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon) who carried on after Schilling left and got the American League champs to the finish line.

Lowell, like Schilling a prospective free agent next month, beat the Rockies with his bat and his legs – yes, his legs – in the middle innings.

With Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez rolling along up 1-0 and nursing a no-hitter, Lowell worked a one-out walk in the fourth. When J.D. Drew followed with a line single to the gap in right-center, Lowell turned on the jets (comparatively speaking) and motored all the way to third.

Moments later Jason Varitek lifted the game-tying sacrifice fly to center, and Lowell was soon taking some serious guff in the Red Sox dugout from teammate Kevin Youkilis. That’s because Lowell is typically timed with a sundial, not a stopwatch.

One inning later, it was Lowell’s two-out double into the left-field corner that put Boston ahead and chased Jimenez, the impressive rookie right-hander.

Lowell’s offensive work made up for some defensive problems in the first. He failed to glove Matt Holliday’s one-out smash down the line, then got charged with an error for flipping a throw to no one in particular.

Holliday came in to score on a groundout, giving the Rockies a much-needed chance to play from ahead after getting waxed 13-1 in Wednesday’s opener.

Things could have really taken off from there for the visitors, but Schilling wouldn’t let them. He faced one over the minimum through the next three innings, and then pitched out of some mild trouble in the fifth.

By the sixth, however, he was clearly gassed. When Holliday singled with one out and Todd Helton followed with a walk, Red Sox manager Terry Francona came out to get his starter.

With that the cheers began to build, all 36,730 on their feet in appreciation of Schilling’s work. Not just on this night, but throughout the past four seasons.

They applauded his willingness to serve as their closer in 2005, even as he recovered from ankle surgery.

They applauded his front-and-center stance on almost every major issue the team has faced since his arrival.

They applauded his grace under pressure, a trait that has served him well through 19 career postseason starts, in which he has produced a 2.23 ERA.

With that, Schilling disappeared down the steps and was gone.

Perhaps for good.