Baseball’s Longest Games

Baseball is the only major team sport that doesn’t feature a clock, and there’s a familiar saying among fans that as long as outs remain, the game can, theoretically, go on forever. Every now and again, it nearly does, as author Phil Lowry demonstrates.
The product of more than four decades of research, this book catalogs baseball games from around the world and throughout history that lasted 20 or more innings, stretched five or more hours, or ended after 1:00 am. Lowry also examines probability models to predict how often games of unusual length will occur.

Philip J. Lowry is a professor of political science in Minnesota where he teaches the Arabic language and Middle East politics.

Philip J. Lowry
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 370
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4263-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5734-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Triple Crown Games by Decade      5

ONE : LONGEST GAMES BY INNINGS
I. Highlights, Analysis and Predicting Extra Innings      9
II. Game Records      32
Games of 20 Innings or More      32
Longest Games, by Decade      50
Longest U.S. Amateur Games, by State      68
Scholastic Divisions, Worldwide      73
Longest Games, by Country      76
Minor League Games, by League      79
Major League Games, by League and Team      87
Evolution of Records for Longest Game by Innings      89
Doubleheaders and Other Multiple-Game Situations      119
Planned Games of 20 Innings or More, Chronological by Decade      131

TWO : LONGEST GAMES BY TIME
I. Highlights and Conclusions      133
II. Game Records      136
Games Lasting 5 Hours or More by Game Time      136
Longest Games by Game Time, by Decade      159
Longest U.S. Amateur Games, by State      182
Scholastic Divisions, Worldwide      184
Longest Games, by Country      188
Minor League Games, by League      192
Major League Games, by League and Team      200
Evolution of Records for Game Time      208
Games Lasting Seven Hours or More by Elapsed Time      255
Doubleheaders Taking Seven Hours or More by Game Time      259
Doubleheaders Taking Eight Hours or More by Elapsed Time      265

THREE : LATEST GAMES BY FINISH TIME
I. Highlights and Analysis      272
II. Game Records      277
Games Finished After 1 A.M      277
Finishes After 1 A.M., by Decade      297
Latest Finish, U.S. High School and College      317
Latest Finish, by Country      321
Minor Leagues, by League      323
Major Leagues, by League and Team      328
U.S. Amateur, by State      336
Evolution of Records for Latest Finish      339

Epilogue      353
Bibliography      355
Index      357

“[an] amazing tour de force of data collection…surely the last word on the subject”—Spitball; “the author has combed a huge range of archival sources to document baseball games worldwide at nearly every level of competition…recommended”—Booklist; “unlike many other baseball historians who focus solely on major league baseball in the United States, Lowry advocates and presents ‘a global approach to baseball research, in which all levels of competition and all nations of the world are given treatment.’ This precise book will settle (or start) many a baseball argument”—ARBA; “records hundreds of games that went long in time, or innings, or ended after 1 a.m.”—SABR Bulletin.