The Longest Game Ever

Hello, hello again. I'm sorry I have been absent, I began my job with the West Michigan Whitecaps (Single-A affiliate of the Tigers) last week and have been pretty busy with that. On Monday, the Whitecaps didn't just go into extra innings against the Indians' youngsters Lake County Captains, but they essentially played two games - an 18-inning affair in which the Whitecaps snuck out a win in the bottom of the 18th. That led me to believe that a fun post to write would be about the longest game ever played. 

The longest professional game ever took place in April of 1981 between the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox, a AAA matchup between International League East teams. It took 8 hours and 25 minutes and when all was said and done, it was Pawtucket 3, Rochester 2 in 33 innings. 

It was so long in fact that it took two days to finish up. The game began at 7 o'clock, the normal start time for baseball games. It began on a chilly April night and continued so deep into the night that the 33rd inning had to be played in June. I think it's pretty funny that the two teams managed to play that long and then only played one inning at the later date. It's the baseball gods way of saying they should have stuck it out. 

Dan Barry's book Bottom of the 33rd does an amazing job recounting the game and its feats. Not only does he give a great play-by-play of the marathon game, but also delves into the personal careers of some of the individual players. It makes for a great read and I learned a lot about a number of the players involved.

Speaking of which, this game had a number of household (well, at least baseball) names in it, namely Cal Ripken, Jr. and Wade Boggs. Batting 2nd and playing third, Ripken went 2-13 for the Red Wings while Boggs had a better game, collecting 4 hits in 12 at-bats and an RBI. Other notable names: Chris Bourjos, father of Cardinals outfielder Peter Bourjos, started in left field and went 2-4 with an RBI for Rochester; Steve Grilli, losing pitcher and father of Pirates closer Jason Grilli; and Bruce Hurst, a 145 game winner for the Red Sox and Padres. 

Other notes from that game:

• Dave Koza, who never got a Major League appearance, led the game with 5 hits. He was a .263 career minor league hitter.
• No runs were scored from the 22-top the the 33rd. 
• Dennis Cregg, the home plate umpire, squatted back there for every single pitch. The umpires' only break was to use the restroom. No sitting like the players. 
• Russ Laribee, Pawtucket DH, went 0-11. 1981 was his last season in professional baseball and he too never saw Major League play. 

Things you can do in 8 hours and 25 minutes: 

• Drive from Detroit to Philadelphia.
• Watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy (no director's cut, sorry).
• Watch an entire season of The Office (as long as the Christmas special isn't too long).
• Cook a mean chili.
• Read nearly my entire blog.

The longest Major League (MiLB is still considered professional) game was in 1920 between the then Boston Braves and then Brooklyn Dodgers. The game ended in a 1-1 tie after 26 innings, taking only 3 hours and 50 minutes.

The longest 9-inning Major League game was between the Yankees and Red Sox in August of 2006. The final score was 14-11 Yankees, and the game lasted 4 hours and 45 minutes. What's worse is that that was the second game of a double-header, the first of which took 3:55. 

Thanks for reading.