Longest playoff games in MLB history

With the postseason in full swing, it seems the perfect time to look at legendary postseason games. And what can be more legendary than two games in one? There have been more than a few games that last 18 innings in the history of postseason baseball. And since extra-inning games don’t begin with a runner on second in the postseason, there’s a chance we could see additions to this list in the coming weeks.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 23rd, 2023 at 11:35 am and is filed under Statistical Achievements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.