Brooklyn Robins at Boston Braves, May 1, 1920, 26 innings

You’d think making it to the World Series might be the most remarkable thing to happen to a team in a single season. Not so for the 1920 Brooklyn Robins, who lost to the Indians 5-2 in the best-of-nine World Series. The Robins, who would go back to being called the Dodgers in 1931, tied this twenty-six inning pitchers duel. I guess there are ties in baseball when darkness arrives and nighttime baseball hasn’t been invented. Leon Cadore threw twenty-six innings for the Robins, and, not to be outmatched, Joe Oeschger threw twenty-six innings for the Braves. It’s unclear why the game wasn’t postponed and resumed later. However, it couldn’t be resumed the next day. Schedules were different back then. May 1 was a Saturday, and the Robins had to get back to play the Phillies in Brooklyn on Sunday. They lost that game 4-1 in 13 innings, which took only two hours and sixteen minutes to play. And then the next day, Monday, the Robins went back up to Boston to play the Braves again. They lost that game 2-1 in 19 innings. So in case you’re keeping track, that’s three games in three days, 58 innings played, and zero wins. Also, three pitchers used.

St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets, September 11, 1974, 25 innings

Jerry Koosman started for the Mets and went nine innings, but wouldn’t get credit for a complete game because there was a lot of baseball left to play. He was one out away from a victory when he gave up a two-run, game-tying homerun to Ken Reitz. What followed was fifteen innings of scoreless baseball. Claude Osteen pitched 9.1 innings in relief for the Cardinals, and Jerry Cram threw eight innings of relief for the Mets, who almost had two pitchers throw nine innings in the same game! Bake McBride led off the 25th inning with a single, and immediately tried to steal second. Mets pitcher Hank Webb had him picked off, but threw wildly to first. Mets first baseman John Milner recovered the ball and made a good throw to home that appeared to cut down McBride, who was trying to score all the way from first. But Mets catcher Ron Hodges – who came into the game after starting catcher Duffy Dyer needed a pinch runner after a single in the 23rd inning – dropped the ball, allowing McBride to score. Sonny Siebert shut down the Mets in the bottom of the 25th and the Cardinals finally won after seven hours and four minutes.

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago White Sox, May 8-9, 1984, 25 innings

The Brewers played in their first World Series two years before, and the White Sox were the defending American League West champions, but both teams struggled at the start of the 1984 season. Don Sutton started the game for the Brewers and pitched seven innings, allowing only one run. In the top of the ninth, when Robin Yount stole third base and scored on an error, and then Ben Ogilvie drove in an insurance run, things were looking good for the Brew Crew. Rollie Fingers worked around an error to start the ninth, and got two outs, but then a double and a single tied the game, and they went to extras. The White Sox has bases load with one out in the fourteenth inning, and couldn’t score, and then the winning run on third with one out in the eighteenth, and again couldn’t score. At that point, the game was postponed to the next day. When it picked up, they played two scoreless innings before Ogilvie hit a three-run home run, but then the White Sox came back with three of their own in the bottom of the 22nd. They’d play three innings after that until Harold Baines mercifully ended it with walk off home run in the bottom of the 25th inning. Julio Cruz went 1-for-11 in the game and saw his batting average fall by 21 points, from .242 to .221.

Philadelphia Athletics at Boston Americans, September 1, 1906, 24 innings

The game has changed a lot over the past one hundred plus years, and there may be no better example of that than the fact that both pitchers in this game – Jack Coombs for the A’s and Joe Harris for the Americans – threw complete games. 24 inning complete games! Doc Powers caught all 24 innings for the A’s. News reports claim that both teams wanted to quit after the 23rd inning because they were tired and it was getting dark, but umpire Tim Hurst made them play on. Two singles and two triples scored three runs for the A’s, who won 4-1, in a game that took only four hours and forty minutes to play.

Detroit Tigers at Philadelphia Athletics, July 21, 1945, 24 innings

The first night game was played in Shibe Park in Philadelphia in 1939, so it’s not clear why this 24 inning marathon had to be called as a 1-1 tie due to darkness six years later. After four hours and forty-eight minutes of play, it seems like they could have had more in the tank. Except for Joe Berry who threw 11 innings in relief of Russ Christopher, who started and threw 13 innings for the A’s. Les Mueller threw 19.2 innings for Detroit. Bob Maier came up for Detroit with the bases loaded in both the 22^nd and 24^th inning, but lined out and hit into a double play. The A’s didn’t have a runner reach third base after the 4^th inning, so they were lucky to escape with a tie.

New York Mets at Houston Astros, April 15, 1968, 24 innings

There are pitcher’s duels, and then there are pitcher’s duels! Don Wilson threw nine shutout innings, allowing five hits, walking three. Tom Seaver threw ten shutout innings, allowing just two hits, one in the second, and one in the tenth. Relievers on both teams continued to shut down the offenses, led by Jim Ray on the Astros who threw seven innings, allowing two hits and striking out eleven. Bob Aspromonte ended the longest scoreless game in baseball history with a ground ball that went through the legs of Mets shortstop Al Weis, driving in Norm Miller. Tommie Agee and Ron Swoboda both went 0-for-10 in the game. The first four hitters in the Mets lineup went a combined 2-for-39, good for a .051 batting average.

Brooklyn Dodgers at Boston Bees, June 27, 1939, 23 innings

The Bees, who would go back to being the Braves a few years later, scored two in the bottom of the second, but that was all they’d get for the day. It looked like it might be enough until the Dodgers scored one in the top of the 8^th to tie the game. No more scoring after that though, with pitchers on both teams combing to throw fifteen scoreless innings. Whit Wyatt threw 16 innings for the Dodgers, before being lifted for three relievers who finished the game. Lou Fette threw 9 for the Bees. Future manager Leo Durocher started at shortstop for the Dodgers and went 0-for-5 before coming out of the game.  

San Francisco Giants at New York Mets, May 31, 1964, 23 innings

After Juan Marichal threw a complete game to beat them in the first game of a doubleheader, I’m sure the Mets were hoping to get off to a good start in the second game. But the Giants roughed up Mets starting pitcher Bill Wakefield to start the second game, with a walk, double, and single in the first. Wakefield’s two inning start wouldn’t have been ideal in the second game of any doubleheader, but soon became a real problem for the Mets. They fell behind 6-1, but scored two in the sixth and three in the seventh to tie it. That concluded the scoring for the next 15 innings though. The game remained interesting despite the lack of offense. Orlando Cepeda lined into a triple play in the 14^th inning. Gaylord Perry pitched ten innings in relief for the Giants. Larry Bearnarth pitched seven innings in relief for the Mets, after throwing two innings in the first game that day.  Galen Cisco threw nine innings in relief after throwing seven innings in his start three days before. Willie Mays played shortstop for three innings. Del Crandall doubled in the top of the 23^rd to give the Giants the lead, and Jesus Alou drove in an insurance run in his eleventh plate appearance of the day.  Bob Hendley came in and shut down the Mets in the bottom of the inning to preserve an 8-6 victory after a game that lasted seven hours and twenty-three minutes.

Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres, April 17, 2008, 22 innings

Defending NL Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy continued his masterful pitching in his fourth start of 2008, with eight innings, four hits, no runs, and eleven strikeouts. But the Padres offense struggled against Jeff Francis, who threw seven scoreless innings. Brad Hawpe drew the ever-exciting bases load walk in the top of the 14^th inning, to give the Rockies the lead, but Josh Bard’s bases loaded single wasn’t enough to plate two, in the bottom of the inning, so the game continued. In the top of the 22^nd, Troy Tulowitski doubled home the go ahead run off of Glendon Rusch. Kip Wells made it hold up in the bottom of the inning, and the Rockies won, 2-1.

Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins, August 31, 1993, 22 innings

It looked like Jerry DiPoto was going to secure the win for the Indians when he retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the 9^th with a 4-3 lead. But back-to-back doubles by Dave McCarty and Terry Jorgensen tied the game and sent it to extras. Both teams had opportunities to secure a win, but no one would capitalize until Jason Munoz led off the bottom of the 22^nd with a home run off of Jason Grimsley to win it for the Twins.

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The post Top 10 Longest Games in Baseball History appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros – 18 innings, Game 4, NLDS, October 9, 2005

Up 2-1 in the best of five series, Houston seemed headed for a fifth game when they trailed 6-1 going into the bottom of the eighth inning. Tim Hudson had been cruising for the Braves, needing only 82 pitches to get through seven innings with one run, five hits, no walks and five strikeouts. But when he walked Brad Ausmus and gave up a single to Eric Bruntlett, his day was done. Kyle Farnsworth threw gasoline on the fire by issuing another walk before giving up a grand slam to Lance Berkman, who finished with a .949 OPS in 52 career postseason games. Atlanta’s taxed, ineffective bullpen resulted in Farnsworth going back out for the ninth, where Ausmus hit a two-out, game-tying homerun that hit inches above the yellow home run line on the centerfield wall at Minute Maid Park. The two teams combined for four hits over the next eight-and-a-half innings. Roger Clemens (one of the best right-handed pitchers in baseball history) pinch-hit in the 15^th inning, and then pitched the final three innings on two days rest. In the bottom of the 18^th, Chris Burke hit a walk off solo home run to win the game and the series for Houston, who would go on to beat the Cardinals in the NLCS before getting swept by the White Sox in the World Series.

San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals – 18 innings, Game 2, NLDS, October 4, 2014

The Giants went into Washington and won game one 3-2. With veterans Tim Hudson and Jordan Zimmerman starting the game, it’s no surprise that game two remained tight, as well. Hudson threw 7.1 innings, allowing just 7 hits and 1 run. Zimmerman was slightly better, keeping the Giants scoreless for 8.2 innings. One out away from a 1-0 victory, he walked Joe Panik on his 100^th pitch of the game. With perennial MVP candidate Buster Posey up next, Nationals manager Matt Williams decided to make a change. Drew Storen gave up a single to Posey, and then a double to Pablo Sandoval. Panik scored to tie the game, but a perfect relay from Bryce Harper in left cut down Posey at the plate. From that point – the end of the top of the 9th – until the end of the 17th inning, the two teams combined for four hits. Yusmeiro Petit threw six innings of 1-hit relief. The score remained tied until Brandon Belt hit a go-ahead homerun off of Tanner Roark in the top of the 18^th, and the Giants held on for the win to go up 2-0 in the series on their way to their third World Series championship in five years.

Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers – 18 innings, Game 3, World Series, October 26, 2018

After the Red Sox won the first two games of the series, game 3 became a must-win for the Dodgers. Walker Buehler did his best to ensure a win by throwing 7 innings, and only allowing two baserunners, both on harmless singles in the third inning. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided this must-win World Series game was a good time to ask Kenley Jansen to do something that he’d never done up to the point in his career (or since!): record a six out save. Jackie Bradley Jr had other plans, and hit a game-tying home run. When the Red Sox scored in the top of the 13th it looked like that might be it, but a throwing error by Ian Kinsler allowed the tying run to score in the bottom of the inning. Max Muncy finally ended it with a walk-off home run off of Nathan Eovaldi, who was beginning his seventh inning of relief. That would be the Dodgers only win of the series though, with the Red Sox winning in five.

Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners – 18 innings, Game 3, ALDS, October 15, 2022

The Astros finished sixteen games ahead of the Mariners in the regular season, but proving that anything can happen in the postseason, they’d barely squeaked out wins in the first two games, 8-7 and 4-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best of five series. Pitchers dominated for both teams in game 3, with Lance McCullers Jr. giving up only two hits in six innings, and the Astros bullpen only giving up five hits in the last twelve innings. Seattle pitched well, too, with George Kirby giving up six hits and no runs in seven innings, and their bullpen only giving up five hits in the last eleven innings. The first run of the game didn’t score until rookie Jeremy Peña led off the 18^th with a solo home run that Luis Garcia made hold up in the bottom of the ninth to win the game and the series for Houston, who went on to sweep the Yankees in the ALCS and then beat the Phillies 4-2 in the World Series.

New York Mets at Houston Astros – 16 innings, Game 6, NLCS, October 15, 1986

In retrospect the 1986 Mets look like a team of destiny. And this game, when they were up 3-2 in the series, but down 3-0 going into the 9th is a prime example. Bob Knepper kept them off balance for eight innings, but a triple, a single, a groundout, and a double made it 3-2 and Knepper’s day was done. Dave Smith walked two to load the bases, and then a sacrifice fly tied it, and the Mets were still alive. A few three-up-and-three-down innings followed, but in the 14th inning, Gary Carter singled, Darryl Strawberry walked, and Ray Knight sacrificed both runners over. When Wally Backman singled to drive in a run, it looked like the end may be near. But Billy Hatcher had other ideas, driving a home run that hit the left field foul pole off of Jesse Orosco. But in the 16th inning, a double by Strawberry, a single by Knight, a couple of wild pitches and a walk by Jeff Calhoun, led to the third run when Lenny Dykstra singled to right. The Astros had one more come back in them. But after a walk and three singles, Kevin Bass struck out to end it. The Mets went on to the legendary seven game World Series against the Red Sox.

Atlanta Braves at New York Mets – 15 innings, Game 5, NLCS, October 17, 1999

With the Braves up 3-1 in the series, and Greg Maddux starting for the Braves, the Mets had a tall task in front of them if they were going to extend the series. They got off to a promising start when Rickey Henderson singled and John Olerud hit a two-run home run off of Maddux in the first inning. But that would be all they’d get off him in 7 innings. The Braves tied the game in the 4th with doubles by Bret Boone and Chipper Jones and Brian Jordan’s single. The two teams then played ten scoreless innings before the Braves broke through in the 15th with a Walt Weiss single and Keith Lockhart triple to take a one-run lead. But Shawon Dunston got the Mets started with a legendary at-bat before singling in the bottom of the inning, and then a walk and an intentional walk loaded the bases for Todd Pratt, hero of that year’s NLDS, who came through with the ever-exciting bases loaded walk. Robin Ventura then ended it with a grand slam to right that only counted as a single because his Mets teammates mobbed him between first and second base, preventing him from circling the bases. The Braves won the next night on a bases loaded walk-off walk by Andruw Jones to advance to the World Series.  

Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees – 15 innings, Game 2, ALDS, October 4, 1995

The Yankees won game 1, but were tied 4-4 after nine innings of game 2. When Ken Griffey Jr hit a solo home run off of John Wetteland in the top of the 12th, things were looking up for the Mariners. But Ruben Sierra followed back-to-back walks by Wade Boggs and Bernie Williams by hitting one off of the left field wall that missed being a three-run, game-winning home run by inches. Instead, the game was tied, but a perfect relay cut down Wiliams at the plate, to send the game to the 13th. A quiet couple of innings followed, until the bottom of the 15th when Pat Kelly walked and then Jim Leyritz hit a two-run walk-off home run off of Tim Belcher, to win the game and put the Yankees up 2-0 in the series. But the Mariners regrouped and won the next three, staging one of the most memorable postseason comebacks in history.

Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Guardians – 15 innings, Game 2, AL Wild Card, October 8, 2022

In a best-of-3 series, there’s not much room for error, so when the Rays found themselves down 1-0 heading into game 2, they had to win or go home. Pitching dominated for the first 14 innings. Not much happened except for many, many strikeouts. The two teams combined to strikeout 39 times, which was the all-time single postseason game record at the time, but only stood for a week, eclipsed by the Astros and Mariners in game 3 of the ALDS. The Rays missed an opportunity in the top of the 15th when they had runners and first and third with one out, but Sam Hentges struck out the next two hitters. And then in the bottom of the 15th Oscar Gonzalez hit a solo homerun off of Corey Kluber to win the game and the series for the Guardians.

Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros – 14 innings, Game 3, World Series, October 25, 2005

After losing the first two games of the series in Chicago, the Astros had to feel good about heading into the fifth inning of game three at home with a 4-0 lead. But a Joe Crede home run to lead off the inning, and a flurry of singles, and a double erased the lead and put the White Sox up 5-4. The Astros couldn’t do much until they put together two walks and a double by Jason Lane in the eighth to tie the game. That’s where things remained until the top of the 14th when Geoff Blum hit a solo shot for the White Sox, and Chris Widger coaxed a bases load walk to add an insurance run. The Astros threatened in the bottom of the inning with a walk and an error, putting the tying run on. But Mark Buehrle came in with one day’s rest to get the final out, and a three-pitch save. The White Sox won the next night, ending their 88-year drought.  

Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays – 14 innings, Game 2, ALDS, October 9, 2015

Toronto’s return to the postseason for the first time since 1993 began with a loss to the Rangers in game 1 of the ALDS. Things weren’t looking good after the Rangers scored two in the top of the first, but the Blue Jays got one back in the bottom of the first. The score was tied after two, and then 4-4 after nine. Few baserunners reached until the top of the 14th when the Rangers put together four consecutive two-out singles against LaTroy Hawkins (in the final game of his career), the last two – by Hanser Alberto and Delino Deshields  – each driving in a run. The Blue Jays couldn’t mount a comeback in the bottom of the innings, and the Rangers went up 2-0 in the series. But the Blue Jays would win the next three games, capped off by Jose Bautista’s grand slam and legendary bat flip, to win the series and advanced to the ALCS where they were bested by the Royals.  

Playoff games are almost always exciting, and as the tension builds in extra innings, they become even more exciting. The games above provided some of the most memorable moments in baseball history. Even though rule changes make long games rare during the regular season, the absence of those rules in the postseason means we could see another tension-filled extra inning game any day.

The post Longest playoff games in MLB history appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Note: All the statistics and events referenced below can be found using the Sports Reference Stathead tool!

Henry Aaron

Name Note: commonly referred to as Hank Aaron

Positions: Rightfielder and First Baseman

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

6-0, 180lb (183cm, 81kg)

Born: February 5, 1934 in Mobile, AL us

Died: January 22, 2021 (Aged 86-352d) in Atlanta, GA

Buried: Southview Cemetery, Atlanta, GA

High School: Allen Institute (Mobile, AL)

Debut: April 13, 1954 (Age 20-067d, 11,077th in major league history)
   vs. CIN 5 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: October 3, 1976 (Age 42-241d)
   vs. DET 3 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1982. (Voted by BBWAA on 406/415 ballots)
   View Henry Aaron’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1954 season

Full Name: Henry Louis Aaron

Nicknames: Hammer, Hammerin’ Hank or Bad Henry

Twitter: @HenryLouisAaron

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Relatives: Brother of Tommie Aaron

• Hall of Fame
• MVP
• 25x All-Star
• 1957 World Series
• 3x Gold Glove
• 2x Batting Title

+6

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

143.0

AB

12364

H

3771

HR

755

BA

.305

R

2174

RBI

2297

SB

240

OBP

.374

SLG

.555

OPS

.928

OPS+

155

Hammerin’ Hank Aaron has the distinction of having both the most home runs and the most hits of any player to make this list. He also sits alone atop the leaderboards for both runs batted in and total bases, has the third most games played in his career, and the 7th most wins above replacement. No matter which way you cut it, Aaron is one of the best to ever swing a bat.

Aaron came by hit number 3000 in the top of the first inning on May 17th, 1970, knocking a single off of Cincinnati Reds starter Wayne Simpson to bring home the first run of the game. He would continue on to drop hit after hit for six more seasons afterwards, bringing his final career total to 3771. 

As for home runs, number 500 for Aaron would come two seasons prior in 1968. On July 14th, Aaron clubbed a home run off of San Francisco Giants starter Mike McCormick, knocking in three and breaking a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the third. Home runs would continue to come in spades for Aaron, who would eventually go on to break Babe Ruth’s long-standing career record and finish his career with 755.

Fun fact: in both cases, Felix Millan was on base ahead of Aaron, and scored a run in both instances!

Miguel Cabrera

Positions: First Baseman, Third Baseman and Leftfielder

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

6-4, 267lb (193cm, 121kg)

Team: Detroit Tigers (majors)

Born: April 18, 1983 (Age: 39-317d) in Maracay, Venezuela ve

High School: Maracay (Maracay, Venezuela)

Debut: June 20, 2003 (Age 20-063d, 18,299th in major league history)
   vs. TBD 5 AB, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 2003 season

2023 Contract Status: Signed thru 2023, 8 yrs/$240M (16-23) & 24-25 vesting option

Service Time (01/2023): 19.101  •  Free Agent: 2024

Agents: ISE Baseball • Previously: Andy Mota, Arn Tellem, Fernando Cuza, Scott Boras

Full Name: Jose Miguel Cabrera

Nicknames: Miggy

Pronunciation: \mee-gail kuh-BREH-rah\

Twitter: @MiguelCabrera

Instagram: @miggy24

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

• 2x MVP
• Triple Crown
• 12x All-Star
• 2003 World Series
• 7x Silver Slugger
• 4x Batting Title
• 2x ML PoY

+2

SUMMARY

2022

Career

WAR

-1.0

67.7

AB

397

10022

H

101

3088

HR

5

507

BA

.254

.308

R

25

1530

RBI

43

1847

SB

1

40

OBP

.305

.384

SLG

.317

.524

OPS

.622

.908

OPS+

83

142

Miguel Cabrera is one of the best hitters of the 21st century, a player who manages to distinguish himself among a list of all-time greats by having the highest career batting average (.308) of all players with both 3000 hits and 500 home runs. Cabrera is still active as of the writing of this article so this may change, but Cabrera currently joins Aaron and Willie Mays as the only members of this prestigious club with a career batting average higher than .300.

Hit number 3000 came for Cabrera in the 2022 season when he rapped a single off of Colorado Rockies starter Antonio Senzetela in the bottom of the first inning of an April 23rd game. Not satisfied with just one, Cabrera would collect hits number 3001 and 3002 on the same day, with the third and final hit of the day coming in the second game of a double header. Miggy collected 101 hits on the season, putting his career total at 3088.

Home run number 500 left the yard on August 22nd, 2021, when Cabrera took Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Steven Matz deep to tie the game at one apiece. The home run helped wake up a Tigers offense that had only reached base five times prior to the sixth inning, when Cabrera reached this milestone, and the Tigers went on to win 5-3 to put a cap on his historic night.

Fun Fact: Cabrera clubbing number 500 while facing the Blue Jays was particularly noteworthy, as Toronto was the team he performed worst against! Relative to his own career, Cabrera had an OPS 46% lower than his usual while playing the Blue Jays.

Willie Mays

Position: Centerfielder

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

5-10, 170lb (178cm, 77kg)

Born: May 6, 1931 (Age: 91-299d) in Westfield, AL us

High School: Fairfield Industrial HS (Fairfield, AL)

Debut: 1948 (10,378th in major league history)

AL/NL Debut: May 25, 1951 (Age 20-019d)
   vs. PHI 5 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: September 9, 1973 (Age 42-126d)
   vs. MON 2 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1979. (Voted by BBWAA on 409/432 ballots)
   View Willie Mays’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1951 season

Full Name: Willie Howard Mays

Nicknames: Say Hey Kid

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

• Hall of Fame
• 2x MVP
• Rookie of the Year
• 24x All-Star
• 1954 World Series
• 12x Gold Glove
• Batting Title
• 2x AS MVP
• ML PoY

+2

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

156.1

AB

10924

H

3293

HR

660

BA

.301

R

2068

RBI

1909

SB

338

OBP

.384

SLG

.557

OPS

.940

OPS+

155

The Say Hey Kid did it all. He could run, field, throw, and he hit the ball as well and as hard as anyone to have ever played the game. With 156.1 career WAR, Mays sits in fifth place on the all-time leaderboard, higher than any other player with both 3000 hits and 500 home runs. Mays also has the distinction of having the most stolen bases of any player on the list, with 338.

For Mays, hit number 3000 came on July 18th of the 1970 season when he knocked a single to center field against Montreal Expos starter Mike Wegener. It was one of two hits in a commanding San Francisco Giants 10-1 win over Montreal, and one of 139 for Mays on the season, his highest total of his last five years. Mays would finish his career with 3293 hits.

Home run number 500 had come for Mays five seasons earlier, on September 13th, 1965 when he took Houston Astros pitcher Don Nottebart deep in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at one run apiece. The historic moment was the middle game of three straight that Mays had homered, and his second home run against Nottebart in five days. He’d hit 160 more over the rest of his career, finishing with 660.

Fun fact: Nottebart likely wasn’t particularly happy to see Mays in this situation; among players with more than 40 plate appearances against the pitcher, Mays posted the fourth highest OPS at .990, high even for his own lofty standards.

Eddie Murray

Position: First Baseman

Bats: Both  •  Throws: Right

6-2, 190lb (188cm, 86kg)

Born: February 24, 1956 (Age: 67-005d) in Los Angeles, CA us

Draft: Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 3rd round of the 1973 MLB June Amateur Draft from Locke HS (Los Angeles, CA).

High School: Locke HS (Los Angeles, CA)

School: California State University, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)

Debut: April 7, 1977 (Age 21-042d, 13,847th in major league history)
   vs. TEX 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: September 20, 1997 (Age 41-208d)
   vs. COL 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2003. (Voted by BBWAA on 423/496 ballots)
   View Eddie Murray’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1977 season

Agents: Ron Shapiro

Full Name: Eddie Clarence Murray

Nicknames: Steady Eddie or Tired

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Relatives: Brother of Rich Murray

• Hall of Fame
• Rookie of the Year
• 8x All-Star
• 1983 World Series
• 3x Gold Glove
• 3x Silver Slugger

+6

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

68.7

AB

11336

H

3255

HR

504

BA

.287

R

1627

RBI

1917

SB

110

OBP

.359

SLG

.476

OPS

.836

OPS+

129

No player on the list of those with 3000 hits and 500 home runs lended their services to more teams than Steady Eddie. Murray, who earned his nickname by playing in a whopping 3026 games over his career, racked up playing time for the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and Anaheim Angels. He earned a Rookie of the Year award for the Orioles in 1977, was elected to eight All-Star Games, and twice finished second in Most Valuable Player voting.

Hit number 3000 came for Murray while he was playing in Cleveland against the Minnesota Twins. On June 30th, 1995, Murray took an 0-1 pitch from Twins pitcher Mike Trombley and sent it to right field for a single. It was one of 141 on the season, the last in which Murray would bat over .300, finishing 1995 with a .323 batting average. For his career, Murray retired with 3255.

Murray is the first player on this list for whom 3000 hits were easier to come by than 500 home runs. It was in the 1996 season that Murray crossed the latter threshold, while playing for his long-time team, the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles had swung a trade with Cleveland to bring Murray back, and on September 6th he made history in front of the home crowd, hitting homer number 500 off of Detroit Tigers pitcher Felipe Lira. Murray would only hit four more in his career, ending it with 504.

Fun Fact: Murray homered in this game, but so did another player who makes this list! Teammate Rafael Palmeiro was making his own climb up the charts, sending a pitch from Lira out of the park for his own career’s number 227.

Rafael Palmeiro

Positions: First Baseman and Leftfielder

Bats: Left  •  Throws: Left

6-0, 180lb (183cm, 81kg)

Born: September 24, 1964 (Age: 58-158d) in La Habana, Cuba cu

Draft: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 8th round of the 1982 MLB June Amateur Draft from Miami Jackson HS (Miami, FL) and the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (22nd) of the 1985 MLB June Amateur Draft from Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, MS).

High School: Miami Jackson HS (Miami, FL)

School: Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, MS)

Debut: September 8, 1986 (Age 21-349d, 15,256th in major league history)
   vs. PHI 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: August 30, 2005 (Age 40-340d)
   vs. TOR 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1987 season

Agents: Bob Gilhooley, Jim Bronner

Full Name: Rafael Palmeiro

Pronunciation: \pahl-MARE-oh\

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

• 4x All-Star
• 3x Gold Glove
• 2x Silver Slugger
• ML PoY

+5

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

71.9

AB

10472

H

3020

HR

569

BA

.288

R

1663

RBI

1835

SB

97

OBP

.371

SLG

.515

OPS

.885

OPS+

132

On a list of players with such distinguished careers, it can be hard for one to stand out from the crowd. Palmeiro managed to do it by finding a way to be the player on the list with the fewest strikeouts, with a career total of only 1348. In fact, Palmeiro only struck out over 100 times once in his career. He joins Aaron as the only two players on the list with more walks than strikeouts, with 1353 of the former.

It took Palmeiro until his last season to cross the milestone of 3000 hits off of his list, but he did it with more authority than anyone on the list ahead of him thus far. Palmeiro’s 3000th hit came on July 15th, 2005, when he sent a double into left field off of Seattle Mariners pitcher Joel Pineiro, bringing home a run and giving the Baltimore Orioles a 4-1 lead. Twenty more hits would fall for Palmeiro in 2005, putting him at 3020 when he ended his career.

Home run number 500 had already fallen for Palmeiro in the 2003 season. On May 11th, Palmeiro launched a three run home run off of Cleveland Indians starter Dave Elder, pushing a wide-open game even wider, giving the Texas Rangers a 16-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Home runs would keep coming for Palmeiro, who finished his career with 569.

Fun Fact: Almost one percent of Palmeiro’s career hits came against seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens!

Albert Pujols

Positions: First Baseman, Leftfielder and Third Baseman

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

6-3, 235lb (190cm, 106kg)

Born: January 16, 1980 (Age: 43-044d) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic do

Draft: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft from Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods (Kansas City, MO).

High School: Fort Osage HS (Independence, MO)

School: Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods (Kansas City, MO)

Debut: April 2, 2001 (Age 21-076d, 17,815th in major league history)
   vs. COL 3 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 2001 season

2023 Contract Status: Free Agent

Service Time (01/2023): 22.000  •  Free Agent: 2023

Agents: MVP Sports Group

Full Name: Jose Alberto Pujols

Nicknames: Prince Albert, Phat Albert, The Machine, La Maquina or Tio Albert

Pronunciation: \POO-hulse\

Twitter: @PujolsFive

Instagram: @albertpujols

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

• 3x MVP
• Rookie of the Year
• 11x All-Star
• 2x World Series
• 2x Gold Glove
• 6x Silver Slugger
• Batting Title
• NLCS MVP
• 3x ML PoY

+2

SUMMARY

2022

Career

WAR

2.0

101.6

AB

307

11421

H

83

3384

HR

24

703

BA

.270

.296

R

42

1914

RBI

68

2218

SB

1

117

OBP

.345

.374

SLG

.550

.544

OPS

.895

.918

OPS+

154

145

There’s a reason they called Albert Pujols “The Machine.” Pujols opened his career with ten straight seasons of hitting with a batting average higher than .300, more than 30 home runs, and more than 100 runs batted in. He won three National League Most Valuable Player awards in that time, finished in second twice more, and even brought home the Rookie of the Year award in his first season. Over his first eleven career seasons, Pujols posted a batting line of .328/.421/.617, good for an OPS of 1.037.

Hit number 3000 dropped for Pujols on May 4th, 2018, when he rapped a single to right field off of Seattle Mariners pitcher Mike Leake. It was the first of two hits for Pujols in the game, who would also bring home two runners with his second, helping lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-0 win over Seattle. Pujols would go on to rack up a few hundred more hits for good measure, finishing his career with 3384.

Meanwhile, Pujols becomes the first player on this list to hit home run number 499 and number 500 in the same game! On April 22nd, 2014, Pujols hit both home runs off of Washington Nationals starter Taylor Jordan. It was a big day at the plate for Pujols, who led the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-2 win with his two home runs and five runs batted in. Over the rest of his career he’d knock 203 more out of the park, becoming only the fourth player to hit 700 home runs in MLB history, ending his career with 703.

Fun Fact: The multi-home-run game was one of 65 in Pujols’ career, more than any other player on this list!

Álex Rodríguez

Positions: Shortstop and Third Baseman

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

6-3, 230lb (190cm, 104kg)

Born: July 27, 1975 (Age: 47-217d) in New York, NY us

Draft: Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1st round (1st) of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft from Westminster Christian School (Miami, FL).

High School: Westminster Christian School (Miami, FL)

Debut: July 8, 1994 (Age 18-346d, 16,550th in major league history)
   vs. BOS 3 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: August 12, 2016 (Age 41-016d)
   vs. TBR 4 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1995 season

Agents: Jay Reisinger, Jim Sharp • Previously: Scott Boras, Susy Dunand

National Team: us USA (WBC,18U)

Full Name: Alexander Enmanuel Rodriguez

Nicknames: A-Rod

Pronunciation: \Rod-RI-gez\

Twitter: @AROD

Instagram: @arod

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Relatives: Uncle of Joe Dunand

• 3x MVP
• 14x All-Star
• 2009 World Series
• 2x Gold Glove
• 10x Silver Slugger
• Batting Title
• 3x ML PoY

+2

SUMMARY

Career

WAR

117.6

AB

10566

H

3115

HR

696

BA

.295

R

2021

RBI

2086

SB

329

OBP

.380

SLG

.550

OPS

.930

OPS+

140

A-Rod is the only player on this list who didn’t spend the majority of his career at first base or patrolling the outfield. Early in his career, Rodriguez played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, before moving to third base while playing for the New York Yankees. Everywhere he went, Rodriguez dropped hits and knocked home runs in spades, averaging 181 hits and 40 home runs per season over the course of his career, earning himself three American League Most Valuable Player awards in the process.

Hit number 3000 for Rodriguez has the distinction of being the one on this list hit with the most authority – it came as a home run. It was the bottom of the first inning on June 19th, 2015, and Rodriguez took Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander deep to start the scoring, making it a 1-0 game in favor of the Yankees. This was home run number 667 for Rodriguez. For his career, A-Rod would finish with 3115 hits.

Home run number had come many years earlier, in the 2007 season. In the bottom of the first on August 4th, Rodriguez launched a three-run home run off of Kansas City Royals starter Kyle Davies, making it a 3-0 game. Rodriguez went on to hit 196 more, finishing his career with 696 home runs.

Fun Fact: First inning home runs were common for Rodriguez over the course of his career. He hit 122 of them – 11 more than the second place sixth inning!

In conclusion, the players who accumulated 3000 hits and 500 home runs are some of the best of the best in the history of the sport. They sit high atop the leaderboards in all sort of statistics, and their names are enshrined in the sport’s history.

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The post Players With 3000 Hits and 500 Home Runs: The Complete List appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.