What are the longest games in MLB playoff history? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
There were a ton of zeroes on the Progressive Field scoreboard Saturday.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians played 14 complete innings before the first run of Game 2 was scored.
Guardians rookie right fielder Oscar Gonzalez finally broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the 15th inning, and he did so in dramatic fashion. On the second pitch of the inning from ex-Guardians pitcher Corey Kluber, Gonzalez hit a walk-off solo home run to left field to send Cleveland to the ALDS.
The AL Wild Card Series matchup, which took five hours to complete, marked the first time in MLB postseason history that two teams were both scoreless through at least 13 innings of a game.
But where does the contest rank among the longest playoff baseball games of all time by innings?
What’s the longest game in MLB playoff history?
The Guardians and Rays came up a few innings shy of matching the all-time record. There’s a three-way tie for the longest game in playoff history of 18 innings.
The Astros and Braves first set the record in Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS. Houston secured a series-clinching 7-6 win over Atlanta on a walk-off solo homer from Chris Burke in the 18th inning.
The record mark was matched nearly a decade later, as the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals played to 18 innings in Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS. Brandon Belt‘s solo shot in the top of the 18th propelled the Giants to a 2-1 road victory en route to a World Series title.
The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers blew past the record for the longest World Series game of all time when it took 18 innings to decide their 2018 Game 2 showdown. After seven hours and 20 minutes, Max Muncy finally sent everyone home with a walk-off solo shot for the eventual World Series champs.
The Dodgers’ 3-2 triumph marked the longest-ever postseason game time-wise.
The Rays-Guardians game is tied with two other contests for fifth-longest: the New York Yankees‘ 1995 ALDS Game 2 win over the Seattle Mariners, and the New York Mets‘ 1999 NLCS Game 5 victory over the Braves.
Here’s a full look at the longest games in MLB playoff history, according to MLB.com:
T-1. 2005 NLDS Game 4 (Astros 7, Braves 6): 18 innings
T-1. 2014 NLDS Game 2 (Giants 2, Nationals 1): 18 innings
T-1. 2018 World Series Game 3 (Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2): 18 innings
4. 1986 NLCS Game 6 (Mets 7, Astros 6): 16 innings
T-5. 1995 ALDS Game 2 (Yankees 7, Mariners 5): 15 innings
T-5. 1999 NLCS Game 5 (Mets 4, Braves 3): 15 innings
T-5. 2022 AL Wild Card Series (Guardians 1, Rays 0): 15 innings
T-8. 1916 World Series Game 2 (Red Sox 2, Brooklyn Robins 1): 14 innings
T-8. 2004 ALCS Game 5 (Red Sox 5, Yankees 4): 14 innings
T-8. 2005 World Series Game 3 (White Sox 7, Astros 5): 14 innings
T-8. 2015 ALDS Game 2 (Rangers 6, Blue Jays 4): 14 innings
T-8. 2015 World Series Game 1 (Royals 5, Mets 4): 14 innings
Source: Yahoo Sports
