On This Date in Sports May 8-9, 1984: The Longest Game Ever Played
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Chicago White Sox win the longest game in American League history, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings at Comiskey Park. The game was played over two days, due to curfew rules, with the final eight innings being played before the regularly scheduled game. Tom Seaver the starter in the scheduled game is the winner, as Harold Baines ends the game with a walk-off home run of Chuck Porter.
Coming off a division title, the Chicago White Sox were scuffling at 12-15 in the early part of the season under manager Tony LaRussa. The Milwaukee Brewers two years removed from playing in the World Series were not doing much better under first-year skipper Rene Lachman. The Brewers came into a three-game series with the White Sox at 13-13, having lost Paul Molitor for the season with an elbow injury.
After losing the first game of the series, the White Sox looked to bounce back with Bob Fallon on the mound, while Don Sutton made the start for Milwaukee. Neither team was able to muster any offense for the first five innings with 14,754 fans on hand. Finally, in the sixth inning, the White Sox scratched out a run as Tom Paciorek singled home Harold Baines. After walking Randy Ready to start the seventh Fallon was relieved by Salmone Barojas. Barajas did not retire a batter as Jim Sundberg and Robin Yount each delivered singles to tie the game. Britt Burns came in an shut the door, retiring the next three. In the ninth inning, Yount put Milwaukee in front with a leadoff double and scored on an error by Carlton Fisk after stealing third. The Brewers added an insurance run when Ben Oglive singled home Ted Simmons. The White Sox were given a big break with Rollie Fingers on to close the game, as Charlie Moore dropped a Paciorek fly ball setting up a ninth-inning rally. Julio Cruz drove in Tom Paciorek with a two-out double and scored the tying run on a hit by Rudy Law. From there neither team was able to do a thing, as Al Jones and Juan Agosto shut down Milwaukee, while Tom Tellman and Rick Waits kept the White Sox in a knot. After 17 innings the game was paused, due to American League curfew laws that did not allow an inning to start after 1 AM.
The game resumed the following day, picking up in the 18th inning, prior to the originally scheduled ball game with the score tied 3-3 as 17,715 were on hand. When the game resumed Juan Agosto remained on the mound when the game resumed, while the Brewers turned to Chuck Porter. Ron Reed replaced Agosto in the 21st inning and got into trouble with two outs as Cecil Cooper singled to start a rally. Following a Ted Simmons walk, Ben Oglive put the Brewers in front with a three-run homer. Porter remained in the game looking to close out the Sox in the 21st. However, Rudy Law reached on an error by Randy Ready at third. He would score on a single by Carlton Fisk. Marc Hill followed with a single as pitcher Richard Dotson was called on to pinch run. After Dave Stegman struck out, Harold Baines walked to load the bases. Tom Paciorek in the middle of everything would single to tie the game again 6-6. Porter would retire Vance Law and Jerry Dybznski to send the game to the 22nd inning.
While Chuck Porter remained on the mound for Milwaukee, the White Sox began using starting pitchers calling on Floyd Bannister to quell a two-out rally in the 23rd inning. Stegman led off the 23rd with a single for Chicago. After Baines flew out the White Sox appeared to be cooking when Paciorek singled Stegman to third. However, Stegman round the bag ran into third base coach Jim Leyland. As a result, he was ruled out for interference. Vance Law followed with a single that would have won the game, instead, the teams played on as Dybznski grounded out. Carlton Fisk who caught all 25 innings stroked a two-out double in inning #24 but was left stranded by a tiring Chuck Porter who got pitcher Floyd Bannister to groundout with the White Sox losing the Designated Hitter after Hill was lifted for a pinch runner.
Facing desperation, Tony LaRussa called on Tom Seaver to pitch in the 25th inning. Seaver was set to start the third game of the series, slated to begin once the never-ending marathon was over. Bill Schroder led off with a single against Seaver but was quickly erased, when Robin Yount bounced into a double play. Cecil Cooper flew out to end the inning. Chuck Porter in his eighth-inning struck out Dave Stegman to start the 25th. Harold Baines up next finally ended the marathon with a walk-off home run to give the White Sox a 7-6 win. At eight hours and six minutes, the game is the longest in term of time to plat as well.
Tom Seaver had no time to rest as he remained the starter in the regularly scheduled game and nearly went the distance as the White Sox won 5-4 to take the series and improve to 14-15 on the season.
This was the third 25-inning game in MLB history, Seaver had seen another one up close, as the New York Mets lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on September 11, 1974, at Shea Stadium. One other game went longer a 26-inning game in 1920 between the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves on May 1st. That game saw two pitchers go the distance, as Leon Cadore pitched all 26 innings for Boston, while Joe Oeschger went the full 26 for Brooklyn as the game was called to darkness tied 1-1. Under the rules of 1920, the game was ruled no contest and the stats counted but the result did not and the game had to be replayed later in the season.