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The minor leagues hosted the longest professional baseball game in history, which included Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. and Wade Boggs. On April 18 and 19, 1981, the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings played a 33-inning game.
The league president gave the umpires the go-ahead to halt play in the 32nd inning after eight continuous hours. According to reports, players were so chilly at 4 a.m. that they tried to stay warm by burning their broken bats in metal garbage cans. Boggs spoke about it in the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast, saying:
“We were resigned to the fact that we weren’t going to score. Neither team. We couldn’t even get on base.”
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Two months later, on June 23, in the top of the 33rd, the game resumed. Dave Koza of Pawtucket scored the game-winning run on a single with the bases loaded and no outs.
"33 innings. More than eight hours. 11 pitchers. 59 strikeouts. 218 at-bats. 36 hits. On this day in 1981, the @RocRedWings and Pawtucket Red Sox began one of the most ridiculous baseball games of all time. It took two months to finish." http://bit.ly/3uAEZS7
For the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boggs was the third baseman. With the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, he enjoyed a Hall of Fame career that included over 3,000 hits. Ripken was the Rochester Red Wings' shortstop. After achieving the record for most consecutive games played and being inducted into the Hall of Fame, he became one of baseball's most recognizable icons.
In the historic game, Marty Barrett played second base for the Pawtucket Red Sox. He later enjoyed a fruitful major league career, spending most of it with the Boston Red Sox. Pat Stapleton was the Pawtucket Red Sox's first baseman. He had a successful career as an infielder and played the majority of his games for the Boston Red Sox.
Many additional participants made contributions to the marathon game. Its tremendous duration and durability make it one of the most enduring games in baseball history.
