{"id":7483,"date":"2019-09-18T12:34:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T17:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/?p=7483"},"modified":"2023-08-19T21:10:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T02:10:26","slug":"longest-mlb-game-in-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/longest-mlb-game-in-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Longest MLB Game In History"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Longest

Theoretically, a baseball game could last forever. These two games almost hit that threshold and are the longest MLB games in history.<\/h2>\n

In my second semester of my senior year of college I took a history of baseball class.<\/p>\n

That’s right. I used three credits to learn about the history of a sport I already knew. Really economic decision, huh?<\/p>\n

Well, I learned about a ton of things… like how Abner Doubleday is a phony, and how Fred Merkle’s Boner isn’t what it sounds like.<\/p>\n

I also learned about some famous games in league history.<\/p>\n

Baseball is a game unlike anything else. The system works so that, theoretically, the games could last forever.<\/p>\n

Certain games have lasted longer than Tommy Lee’s marriages, and that’s saying something.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at some of the longest games that have ever been played in Major League Baseball.<\/p>\n

Longest MLB Game In History – By Innings<\/h2>\n

In May of 1920, the Boston Braves took on the Brooklyn Robins in one of the most disappointing affairs in sports history.<\/p>\n

Stay on the edge of your seats, kids.<\/p>\n

The Robins notched a run in the fifth inning to take a one run lead, until the Braves answered in the sixth with a run of their own.<\/p>\n

Then, neither team scored for the next 20 innings.<\/p>\n

Yep… 120 outs. Not a single run.<\/p>\n

The game lasted 1-1 until the start of the 27th inning, when the umpires called the game because of nightfall.<\/p>\n

The game is in the record books as a tie. Ridiculous.<\/p>\n

That’s not even the craziest part. Remember, this is 1920… they didn’t have the same health standards in sports that we have now.<\/p>\n

Leon Cadore was the starting pitcher for the Robins, and Joe Oeschger was the starter for the Braves.<\/p>\n

Both pitchers threw complete games in the 26-inning affair, and neither earned a win. Those two men must have had noodles for arms after that. They each recorded 78 outs, but neither got a win.<\/p>\n

What an incredible stat line. Even better, they both had to hit the whole game. They went a combined 0-19 at the plate.<\/p>\n

Chuck Ward was the starting short stop for the Robins that day, and went an insufferable 0-10 at the dish, but that’s not even the worst batting line.<\/p>\n

Braves’ starting second baseman Charlie Pick went 0-11 with a strikeout. Think about how miserable you must be at that point.<\/p>\n

What hope could you possibly have left?<\/p>\n

The answer is none, like me writing any more about this snore-fest.<\/p>\n

Longest MLB Game In History – By Time<\/h2>\n

Sometimes you just gotta love a good walk-off.<\/p>\n

… And you might love it more if you had to wait 25 innings for it.<\/p>\n

In May of 1984, the Brewers and White Sox<\/a> met, and played an absolute marathon slugfest. The game was tied 3-3 in the 18th inning, when the umpiring crew decided to suspend play until the next day.<\/p>\n

When the game started play again, it still lasted another seven innings before a final tally crossed the plate.<\/p>\n

Harold Baines notched a walk-off homer to center field to give the Sox the win.<\/p>\n

In a much different style than the 1920s affair, there was no shortage of pitchers. The teams used a combined 14 pitchers.<\/p>\n

Bob Fallon and Don Sutton started the first day of the game, and Tom Seaver and Chuck Porter finished it out to get the decision.<\/p>\n

There were tons of guys with 10 or 11 at-bats, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the Braves and Robins.<\/p>\n

I think the craziest thing about this game is that Carlton Fisk, Hall of Fame catcher for the White Sox, caught all 25 innings of play.<\/p>\n

At that point, his knees were probably falling apart.<\/p>\n

Even with the day break, Fisk caught almost three games worth of baseball in eight hours of playing.<\/p>\n

Looking back on it, I’m not sure which game I’d rather have been a part of, but I know one thing… I’m really glad I’m sitting here not named Charlie Pick.<\/p>\n

Other “Longest” In Sports History:<\/h3>\n