11 Longest Games in World Series History

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MLB, unlike other sports, doesn’t have a clock counting down the time of the game. Instead, baseball can last several hours and go deep into extra innings.

The World Series has been played since 1903 (except in 1994, when it was canceled due to a strike).

And there have been plenty of games that have gone into extra innings, from the early 1900s to the modern day.

Let’s take a look at the 11 longest games in World Series history:

11. Reds-Red Sox, 1975

Wikimedia Commons

Game 6 of the 1975 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox went 12 innings. The Red Sox scored 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth which helped force extra innings. In the bottom of the 12th, the Red Sox walked-off the Reds to force Game 7. But, Cincinnati won the World Series in Game 7. The run time of the game was 4 hours and 1 minute.

10. Yankees-Marlins, 2003

GettyMarlins walked off the Yankees in Game 4 in 12 innings.

The Florida Marlins played the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series. In Game 4, the Yankees scored twice in the top of the ninth to force extra innings. The game went into extra innings and in the bottom of the 12th, Álex González hit a walk-off home run for the Marlins. Game 4 ended up lasting 4 hours and 3 minutes.

9. Braves-Twins, 1991

GettyThe Braves played the Twins in the 1991 World Series.

The 1991 World Series saw the Atlanta Braves take on the Minnesota Twins. In Game 3, the Braves walked off the Twins in 12 innings. The game started at 8:38 local time and it took 4 hours and 4 minutes to complete. Atlanta won its first game of the series with the walk-off and then won three straight but lost Games 6 and 7 to lose the World Series.

8. Mets-Athletic, 1973

GettyOakland honors the 1973 World Series winning team.

The Oakland Athletics took on the New York Mets in the 1973 World Series. In Game 2, the Mets went on the road and evened up the series with a 10-7 win in extra innings. New York scored 4 runs in the 12th, which was the difference. The game went 4:13.

7. Diamondbacks-Yankees, 2001

GettyChuck Knoblauch scores the winning run in Game 5 of the World Series.

The 2001 World Series saw the Yankees take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Game 5, the Yankees took a 3-2 series lead as New York walked off Arizona in 12 innings. The Yankees scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra and then scored the winning run in the 12th. The game ended up lasting 4:15.

6. Royals-Mets, 2015

GettyThe Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Mets with a score of 7 to 2 to win the World Series.

The Kansas City Royals defeated the Mets in 12 innings in Game 5 to win the World Series. Kansas City trailed 2-0 going into the top of the ninth and the Royals tied it. In the 12th inning, Kansas City scored 5 runs to secure the win as the Royals won the World Series in five games. The game lasted 4:15.

5. Yankees-Mets, 2001

GettyJose Vizcaino of the New York Yankees is swarmed by teammates after his game-winning single in the 12th inning.

The Yankees played the Mets in the 2000 World Series. In Game 1, the Yankees defeated the Mets in 12 innings. The Yankees tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the ninth and then Jose Vizcaino walked it off in the bottom of the 12th. The game lasted 4:51.

4. Boston-Brooklyn, 1916

Wikimedia CommonsThe Red Sox 1916 World Series winning roster.

In terms of run time, Game 2 of the 1916 World Series wasn’t one of the longest. But, in amount of innings, it was. The 1916 World Series saw the Red Sox take on the Brooklyn Robins. After the third inning, the game was tied at one and there wasn’t another run until the bottom of the 14th when Boston walked it off. The game lasted just 2:32 despite it going 14 innings.

3. Royals-Mets, 2015

GettyKansas City Royals celebrate after Game 1 win.

The 2015 World Series saw two of the longest games in World Series history. In Game 1, the Royals tied the game at four in the bottom of the ninth with a home run by Alex Gordon. In extras, the game went into 14 innings with when Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the winning run. The game lasted 5:09.

2. White Sox-Astros, 2005

GettyManager Ozzie Guillen hugs pitcher Mark Buehrle after winning Game 3 of the World Series.

The 2005 World Series saw the Houston Astros take on the Chicago White Sox. In Game 3, the White Sox trailed 4-0 after four innings, but in the top of the fifth, Chicago scored 5 runs. Houston tied it in the bottom of the eighth, but the White Sox scored twice in the top of the 14th to win it. The game lasted 5:41 as Chicago went on to sweep Houston.

1. Dodgers-Red Sox, 2018

GettyMax Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated by his teammates after his eighteenth-inning walk-off home run.

Game 3 of the 2018 World Series is the longest World Series game in MLB history and has the record by a lot. The Los Angeles Dodgers took on the Red Sox in the World Series. Boston led 2-0 in the series and in Game 3, the Red Sox tied the game up at 1 in the top of the eighth. Both teams scored a run in the 13th, and in the bottom of the 18th, Max Muncy hit a walk-off home run. The game lasted 7:20.