The Twenty-Two Inning Affair

I have been playing APBA for a very long time.

I have probably rolled between 20-25 no-hitters (which included one perfect game by Don Sutton), and maybe 7 cycles through about 30 years of playing the game.

I have had teams score 20+ runs in a single game, and I have had a handful of 10+ run innings. I have had pitchers strikeout 20+ in a game. David Cone comes to mind with my brother Jared's 1993 season, in which Cone struck out 23 through 11 innings of work.

Maybe two, three triple plays ever...

I recently rolled three consecutive games all ending in walk-off home runs in the UAL mail-in league that I am in, while I have had a team get 30 hits in a single-game. 

... but I am pretty confident that I have never rolled a game that went to 20+ innings until now. I believe I remember getting to the 19th, thinking this could go 20 innings, and then it ended with a game-winner in the 19th.

My brother Chris and I, are replaying the 1978 MLB Season. I am rolling the American League games, while he is playing the National League games. You can follow on the Delphi Forums through "Brothers In Dice".

This game was between the 8-5 Detroit Tigers and the 5-8 Chicago White Sox, on April 25th (which the real-life game also went to extras, but only half the distance of mine in 11 frames).

Here is my Delphi Forum write-up...

Game Recap: Good thing that this game started out as a day game, because this game rolled on deep into the evening.... The Detroit Tigers prevail in a 22-inning marathon that featured 15 different pitchers in this one. The White Sox never led at any point in this one, while both teams went scoreless for 12 straight innings (from the 9th through the 20th). The Tigers scored first in the 3rd inning, on a double steal, with Ron LeFlore stealing home (while Rusty Staub stole second).. A few at-bats later Steve Kemp hit an RBI double (scoring in Jason Thompson), but an aggressive Staub was thrown out (by LF Ralph Garr) trying for home. The White Sox scored on a RBI single by Eric Soderholm during the bottom of the 3rd, while Jorge Orta tied the game in the 4th on a sac fly. Top of the 6th, Ron LeFlore hits a two-run double off of Chicago starter Francisco Barrios, to give Detroit a 4-2 cushion, but the White Sox answered back with a run in the 6th, and Orta once again, tying the game, this time with a RBI double in the 8th (Tied 4-4).

As mentioned above, the next run would not come until the top of the 21st, The Tigers would have a runner in scoring position in Steve Kemp (reached on single), thanks to wild pitch (Rich Hinton), and fielding error by shortstop Greg Pryor, which all set up a go-ahead RBI single by Tim Corcoran, but a fielding error by the Tigers' shortstop Alan Trammell would put the White Sox in position to tie the game, 5-5, in the bottom of the 21st. Trammell's booted grounder, allowed Pryor to lead off the inning by reaching base, and after moving up to second on a 5-3 ground-out by Garr, Jorge Orta for the third time would tie the game up on a RBI single.

But it would be Orta's error (on a ball hit by Lou Whitaker) in the 22nd that would set the Tigers up for success. Rich Hinton loaded the bases with a walk to Jason Thompson, and then would walk (Kemp) which forced in the go-ahead run (Whitaker) to give the Tigers a 6-5 lead. Third Baseman Phil Mankowski's two-run single, would give the Tigers a three-run lead entering the bottom of the 22nd, in which the Tigers' Steve Baker would hold on for the win. Baker had to pitch 5 innings of relief, in which he allowed 1 unearned run, 2 hits & no walks, while striking out 5 Chicago batters. Orta in a losing effort collects 4 hits, 3 RBI, SF & BB in 8 at-bats. Mankowski had 4 hits in 11 at-bats for the Tigers.

HR: None

2B: Kemp (DET) 1 (1), Staub (DET) 1 (4), LeFlore (DET) 1 (4), Garr (CWS) 1 (1), Orta (CWS) 1 (4)

SB: LeFlore (DET) 1 (9), Staub (DET) 1 (1), Bonds (CWS) 1 (6), Lemon (CWS) 1 (1), Molinaro (CWS) 1 (1)

SF: Orta (CWS) 1 (1)

E: M.May (DET) 1, Trammell (DET) 1, Garr (CWS) 1, Orta (CWS) 1, Pryor (CWS)

WP: Proly (CWS) 1 (2), Hinton (CWS) 1 (1)

Stat Cruncher: Even more extraordinary than no home runs being hit in 22-inning affair, is the fact that no one hit into a double play all game, despite the fact that there was 35 total hits, 15 walks & 5 players reaching on errors.