If you found yourself watching Thursday's matinee in Queens between the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets and thinking, "man, this feels really long," you were correct. The game, which culminated in a 7-6 victory for the A's, has gone down in history as the longest in the pitch-clock era, as long as we exclude extra innings and the playoffs, where timing rules are different.
A Marathon in Queens
It lasted an arduous three hours and 45 minutes, surpassing the previous record-holder by just one minute. That former record belonged to a Padres-Giants bout in Mexico City last year which lasted three hours and 44 minutes. However, that matchup was far more explosive on the scoreboard, ending with a whopping 16-11 victory for the Padres, featuring 30 combined hits, including 11 home runs.
Thursday's game, while not as high-scoring as the Mexico City showdown, still packed its fair share of action. The A's and Mets combined for 13 runs on 21 hits, paired with an eye-catching 16 walks. The A's were particularly persistent in loading the bases, doing so in the first, third, fourth, and seventh innings. The Mets also managed to load the bases in the third inning, but neither team could consistently capitalize on these opportunities.
Missed Opportunities
In terms of runners in scoring position, the A's had 14 at-bats but left nine runners stranded. The Mets were slightly more efficient but still left five out of their 11 in scoring position.
Interestingly, the game would have felt even more drawn-out had it not been for the pitch clock, which was implemented at the big-league level before the 2023 season. Nine-inning games this year are averaging just two hours and 36 minutes. In comparison, the 225-minute duration of this A's-Mets game starkly contrasts the season's average of 156 minutes per game.
The Dynamics of Another Record-Setting Game
So, what factors contributed to this marathon-length contest? The excessive number of walks certainly didn't help, nor did the continuous base-loading situations, which only served to elongate each inning. Moreover, the game was a tightly contested affair, with neither team able to pull away convincingly, maintaining a high level of engagement and tension until the very end.
For the spectators, especially the die-hard fans in attendance, it was a test of perseverance. "Man, this feels really long" might have been the collective sentiment, yet it added an unusual flavor to a season increasingly governed by new timing rules designed to speed things up.
Despite the extended length, both teams displayed impressive tenacity. The unyielding determination of the A's, in particular, helped secure their victory. Given the pace of modern baseball, it is rare to witness such prolonged contests, making this game a memorable deviation from the norm.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how often such marathon games occur in this new pitch-clock era. While rules have undeniably shaved off minutes from the average game time, instances like Thursday's affair serve as a reminder that baseball remains unpredictable and, at times, gloriously unhurried.
In the end, both teams return to the diamond carrying the weight of extra innings experienced in a regulation game, but with lessons learned and tales to tell. For the fans, it was a game that tested their endurance, but also gave them a plethora of moments to cherish.