Professional There are nine regulation innings in a professional baseball game.
Minor League Baseball The record for the most innings played in a single professional game is 33, which occurred in 1981 in a
Minor League Baseball game between the
Pawtucket Red Sox and the
Rochester Red Wings, at the time the
Triple-A affiliates of the
Boston Red Sox and the
Baltimore Orioles, respectively. Each team had a future
Hall of Famer on its roster:
Wade Boggs for Pawtucket and
Cal Ripken Jr. for Rochester.
Major League Baseball The longest game by innings in
Major League Baseball was a 1–1 tie in the
National League between the
Boston Braves and the
Brooklyn Robins in 26 innings, at
Braves Field in
Boston on May 1, . It had become too dark to see the ball (fields did not have lights yet and the sun was setting), and the game was considered a draw. Played rapidly by modern standards, those 26 innings were completed in 3 hours and 50 minutes. As was the custom, the first pitch was thrown at 3:00 p.m., home plate umpire
Barry McCormick called the game as lights began appearing in the windows of buildings across the
Charles River, just before 7:00 p.m. The longest
American League game, and tied for the longest major league game by innings which ended with one team winning, was a 7–6 victory by the
Chicago White Sox over the
Milwaukee Brewers in 25 innings, at
Comiskey Park in
Chicago in . The game began at 7:30 p.m. on May 8, 1984, and after scoring early runs both teams scored twice in the 8th inning; but the game was suspended after 17 innings with the score tied 3–3 due to a league
curfew rule prohibiting an inning from beginning after 12:59 a.m. The game was continued the following evening, May 9, 1984, and both teams scored three times in the 21st inning to make the score 6–6; finally, in the bottom of the 25th, the White Sox'
Harold Baines hit a
walk-off home run to end the contest.
Tom Seaver was the
winning pitcher in
relief. A regularly scheduled game followed, meaning both nights saw 17 innings played; Seaver also started, and won, the second game 5–4. The official time of the entire 25-inning game was 8 hours, 6 minutes, also a major league record. On September 12, 1974, baseball's
St. Louis Cardinals won a marathon night game that had started the evening before, defeating the host
New York Mets, 4 to 3, in the 25th inning after 7 hours and 4 minutes. This game is the longest
National League contest to be played to a decision and is also tied with the aforementioned Brewers-White Sox game on May 8–9, 1984, for the longest game played to a decision in major league history. Two Mets errors led to the Cardinals' winning run, starting with an errant pickoff throw that allowed
Bake McBride to scamper all the way around from first. The Mets went to the plate 103 times, a record in a major league game; the Cardinals were not far behind with 99 plate appearances. All told, a record 175 official at-bats were recorded, with a major-league record 45 runners stranded. Only a thousand fans were still at
Shea Stadium when the game ended at 3:13 a.m. on September 12. Unlike the American League, the National League had no curfew. This was the longest game played to a decision without a suspension. On April 15, , the
Houston Astros defeated the Mets 1–0 in a 24-inning game at the
Houston Astrodome. The 6-hour, 6-minute contest, which ended with the Astros'
Bob Aspromonte hitting a grounder through the legs of Mets shortstop
Al Weis in the bottom of the 24th, remains the longest
shutout game in major league history. The longest American League game to end in a tie was a 24-inning contest between the
Detroit Tigers and
Philadelphia Athletics on July 21, . The teams were tied 1–1 when the game was called due to darkness at
Shibe Park; the Tigers'
Les Mueller had pitched a record 19 innings, giving up one run before being taken out in the 20th inning. The longest game to end in a scoreless tie was a National League contest between the
Cincinnati Reds and
Brooklyn Dodgers on September 11, . The teams went 19 innings before darkness fell at Brooklyn's
Ebbets Field, forcing the game to be called on account of darkness. In the American League, the longest 0–0 game was played between the
Washington Senators and
Detroit Tigers on July 16, . The game was called after 18 innings due to darkness at
Bennett Park in Detroit. The longest scoreless period within a completed game came in the April 15, 1968 game between the Astros and Mets which remained scoreless after 23 innings. The
Washington Senators became the first team in Major League history to play multiple games of at least 20 innings in a season when they defeated the
Minnesota Twins 9–7 in 20 innings on August 9, 1967, after winning a 22-inning game over the Chicago White Sox on June 12 of that year. This feat would later be accomplished by the 1971
Oakland Athletics who had games of 21 and 20 innings and the 1989
Los Angeles Dodgers who played two 22-inning contests. The longest
doubleheader in Major League history was on May 31, . The
San Francisco Giants beat the
New York Mets 5–3 in nine innings in the day's first game at
Shea Stadium, and then won the nightcap 8–6 after 23 innings. The two games lasted a combined nine hours, 52 minutes. The Mets'
Ed Kranepool played in all 32 innings of the two games; Kranepool had been called up to the team that day after having played in both games of a doubleheader the day before for their Triple-A club in Buffalo. On April 5, , the
Toronto Blue Jays beat the
Cleveland Indians 7–4 in 16 innings. The five-hour, 14-minute game was the longest
Opening Day game in Major League history. On June 8, , the
Toronto Blue Jays beat the
Texas Rangers 4–3 in 18 innings while the
Miami Marlins beat the
New York Mets 2–1 in 20 innings. This was the second time in Major League history that two games of 18 innings or more were played on same day; the first was August 15, 2006. In the 2013 season, the
Arizona Diamondbacks set a major league record by playing 78 extra innings. This broke the season record of 76 extra innings played by the
Minnesota Twins in . In the 2020 season, and later extended into 2021 and 2022 before being made permanent in 2023, a new rule was added, adding a runner on second to begin each extra inning. The longest game played under these rules was a 16-inning game on August 25, 2021, between the Dodgers and Padres in San Diego where the Dodgers won 5–3 after both teams entered extra innings tied at 1 and traded two runs each in the 15th inning.
Notable postseason extra-inning games In October 1999, in the "Grand Single" game 5 of the
1999 NLCS, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 15th inning,
Robin Ventura of the
New York Mets, who had hit two grand slam home runs in one game during the regular season, hit the ball over the outfield fence for, apparently, another grand slam. He celebrated with his teammates and did not advance to second base. According to the rules, only one run scored, giving the Mets a 4–3 win over the
Atlanta Braves. The longest postseason game by innings in MLB history is 18 innings; this has occurred in five games, all of which were decided by a solo home run. Four of the five 18 inning games involve either the
Houston Astros or the
Los Angeles Dodgers. The first 18-inning contest was played between the
Atlanta Braves and the
Houston Astros on October 9, 2005. In Game 4 of a
National League Division Series in
Houston, the Braves (who were trailing the series 2–1 and facing elimination) took a 6–1 lead into the 8th inning. A
grand slam by
Lance Berkman in the bottom of the 8th brought the score to 6–5, and with two outs in the bottom of the 9th,
Brad Ausmus homered to tie the game and send it to extra innings. The score remained deadlocked at 6–6 until the 18th, when the Astros'
Chris Burke (who entered the game in the 9th inning as a pinch runner) hit a walk-off home run to left to win it, sending Houston to the
NLCS.
Roger Clemens, who was brought in to
pinch-hit in the 15th and pitched the last three innings in relief, was credited as the winning pitcher in the 5-hour, 50-minute contest.
Adam LaRoche and
Tim Hudson played in both of the first two 18-inning games. This one as Atlanta Braves and the second one as opposing sides of one another with Hudson pitching in both games as the visiting team's starting pitcher. The second 18-inning game was Game 2 of the
2014 National League Division Series, when the visiting
San Francisco Giants defeated the
Washington Nationals 2–1. The game ended just after midnight on October 5, 2014, and lasted 6 hours 23 minutes. The Nationals had been leading 1–0 with two out in the ninth inning, with starter
Jordan Zimmermann one out away from a complete-game shutout. Following a decision by manager
Matt Williams to remove Zimmermann with two out after he walked
Joe Panik, Washington closer
Drew Storen gave up a single to Giants catcher
Buster Posey and an RBI double to
Pablo Sandoval, scoring Panik to tie the game 1–1. Posey was thrown out at the plate trying to score the second San Francisco run on Sandoval's double. After
Sergio Romo retired the Nationals in order in the bottom half, the game went into extra innings. There was no further scoring until Giants first baseman
Brandon Belt led off the top of the 18th inning with a home run.
Hunter Strickland, a September call-up, recorded the save. Until 2022, this was the only one to go the full 18 innings. The third 18-inning game was Game 3 of the
2018 World Series. It was played on October 26, 2018, between the
Boston Red Sox and
Los Angeles Dodgers at
Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers took a 1–0 lead in the 3rd inning when
Joc Pederson homered off of Boston starter
Rick Porcello. The Red Sox tied the game in the top of the 8th when
Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a solo home run off of Dodgers closer
Kenley Jansen. The game remained deadlocked at 1 until the 13th inning when
Brock Holt scored on a throwing error by Dodgers reliever
Scott Alexander. The Dodgers subsequently tied it again at 2 in the bottom of the inning, when
Max Muncy scored on a throwing error by Red Sox second baseman
Ian Kinsler (who had entered the game in the 10th inning as a pinch runner). The score remained 2–2 until the bottom of the 18th, when Muncy (who had missed a walk-off home run in the 15th inning by mere inches) hit a walk-off solo home run off of Red Sox pitcher
Nathan Eovaldi (who was in his 7th inning of relief). The winning pitcher for the Dodgers was
Alex Wood. With a duration of 7 hours and 20 minutes, this was also the longest postseason game by time in MLB history. The fourth 18-inning game was Game 3 of the
2022 American League Division Series. It was played on October 15, 2022, between the
Houston Astros and
Seattle Mariners at
T-Mobile Park. The Astros took a 1–0 lead in the top of the 18th inning on a home run by shortstop
Jeremy Peña. The Mariners went 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the 18th, allowing a 3-game sweep by the Astros to advance to the American League Championship Series, and it took 6 hours, 22 minutes to finish the longest
shutout game in postseason history. The 17 scoreless innings in a game set a new Major League postseason record. The fifth and most recent 18-inning game was Game 3 of the
2025 World Series between the
Toronto Blue Jays and the
Los Angeles Dodgers at
Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2025.
Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off solo shot off
Brendon Little to end the 6 hour, 39 minute contest with a 6-5 Los Angeles victory. The
1986 National League Championship Series was notable for its two climactic extra-inning games. After the
Houston Astros and the
New York Mets split the first four games of the series, the Mets won Game 5 in 12 innings and Game 6 in 16 innings to claim the pennant. The
1986 American League Championship Series between the
Boston Red Sox and the
California Angels featured a dramatic game where the Angels were leading 3 games to 1 and leading 5–4 in game 5, one strike away from the first pennant in franchise history, only for Red Sox's
Dave Henderson hit a two-run home run off Angels closer
Donnie Moore in the top of the ninth inning to give the Red Sox the lead. The Angels tied it in the bottom half but in the top of the 11th, Henderson's sacrifice fly off Moore proved to be the winning margin and the Angels lost the game. The series returned to
Boston and the Angels were outscored a combined 18–5 in games 6 and 7 to lose the pennant. Game 6 of the
1986 World Series between the
New York Mets and
Boston Red Sox went into extra innings as well. The Red Sox scored 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to take a 5–3 lead and then got two quick outs with no one on base in the bottom of the 10th. With the Red Sox one out away from their first world championship in 68 years, reliever
Calvin Schiraldi gave up three straight singles (to
Gary Carter,
Kevin Mitchell, and
Ray Knight), with Carter scoring on Knight's single to cut the lead to one run with runners on first and third. Red Sox manager
John McNamara replaced Schiraldi with Bob Stanley, who then threw a two-strike wild pitch to Mookie Wilson to allow Mitchell to score the tying run and move Knight to second base. The wild pitch was particularly notable in that it completely turned the tables on the Red Sox from what they had done while facing the Angels weeks earlier, as they themselves had now blown a situation in which they were one strike away from winning the series. Wilson subsequently hit a ground ball to first base that rolled through the legs of first baseman
Bill Buckner, allowing Knight to score the winning run from second base and sending the Series to a Game 7 where the Mets completed the comeback. Had Buckner not committed this error, the game would have either remained tied with runners on first and third for the next batter (if Wilson was safe) or would have gone to an 11th inning (if Wilson had been out). The
1980 National League Championship Series, played between the Houston Astros and the
Philadelphia Phillies, had four of its five games go to extra innings. The Astros won Games 2 and 3 in 10 and 11 innings respectively, while the Phillies took Games 4 and 5 in 10 innings each. Game 6 of the
2011 World Series invokes echoes of 1986. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the
Texas Rangers were one strike away from winning their first World Series when
David Freese hit a two-run triple to tie the game 7–7 and send the game to extra innings. In the 10th,
Josh Hamilton hit a two-run home run to give the Rangers a 9–7 lead, but the Cardinals responded with two runs to tie the game again at 9. The game ended in the 11th inning when Freese led off with a walk-off solo home run. Just like the Mets did in 1986, the Cardinals went on to win Game 7 and the championship. The
2012 American League Division Series between the
Baltimore Orioles and the
New York Yankees had back-to-back extra-inning games, going 12 and 13 innings respectively. The Yankees won Game 3 on a
walk-off home run by
Raúl Ibañez and the Orioles returned the favor the next night by winning Game 4. In the
1995 American League Division Series, the
Seattle Mariners and Yankees battled in Game 2 in 15 innings. The Yankees won the game on a two-run walk-off home run by
Jim Leyritz, setting the record for longest game in MLB postseason history by time until 2005. In Game 5, the Mariners won the game and the series in 11 innings on
Edgar Martínez's famous
double that scored
Ken Griffey Jr. Until 2011, this was the only LDS game 5 in either league to go into extra innings. The
2014 American League Wild Card Game featured the first extra-inning game in its third year of postseason existence, was won by the
Kansas City Royals over the
Oakland Athletics in 12 innings. The longest Game 7 in postseason history was during the
1924 World Series where the
Washington Senators beat the
New York Giants 4–3 in 12 innings to claim the title. The longest "winner take all" game (defined as the final game of a postseason series, in which the winning team clinches the title or advances to the next round while the loser is eliminated from the postseason) in MLB postseason history is the 2025 American League Division Series Game 5 (best-of-5 series), won by the
Seattle Mariners over the
Detroit Tigers 3–2 in 15 innings.
World Series Over the history of the
World Series, 69 games have gone to extra innings, setting the following innings-related records. •
Most extra innings played in a
World Series game: 9 (
2018, game 3), (
2025, game 3). Further, game 3 of 2018 was the longest World Series game played in terms of elapsed time. •
Most extra innings played
over the course of a World Series: 11 (2025). The previous record was tied by the large number of extra innings in 2025's game 3 alone, and exceeded by extra innings in
game 7. •
Most innings played
over the course of a World Series: 75 (
1912). 1912 was one of seven historically unusual Series: four (
1903,
1919,
1920,
1921) were best-of-nine contests, and three (
1907,
1912,
1922) were best-of-seven contests which each had one tie game apiece. In the 1912 Series,
game 2 concluded as an 11-inning tie and the Series-deciding
game 8 went for 10 innings, padding the Series' total inning count to 75. •
Most innings played
over the course of a standard World Series: 74 (
2025). "Standard" denotes best-of-seven Series which had no tie games, excluding the seven above Series. •
Most games running to extra innings, played
over the course of a World Series: 3 (1991). No other Series has had more than two games running to extra innings.
1933's
game 5,
1939's
game 4,
1991's
game 7,
1992's
game 6,
1997's
game 7,
2012's
game 4,
2015's
game 5,
2016's
game 7, and
2025's
game 7.
All-Star Game The longest major league
All-Star Game by time was played on July 15,
2008, at
Yankee Stadium, with the American League winning 4–3 in 15 innings after four hours, 50 minutes.
Michael Young hit the walk-off sacrifice fly to win it. This was the first time in All-Star game history that the AL won an All-Star Game in extra innings. The previous nine times the National League went 8–0–1 in extra-inning games. The All-Star Game of July 11,
1967, at
Anaheim Stadium also lasted 15 innings, but was considerably shorter in terms of elapsed time. The All-Star Game of July 9,
2002, at
Miller Park was controversially declared a 7–7 tie after 11 innings, when both teams ran out of available pitchers. Since the
2022 All-Star Game, if the All-Star Game is tied after nine innings, the winner will be decided by a home run derby rather than with extra innings. Despite the association with the All-Star Game, this is distinct from the annual
home run derby held every year the day before the All-Star Game. The rules differ somewhat from the regular home run derby, with each manager selecting three players to make three swings each to hit as many home runs as possible. If a tie remains, sudden death triple-swing rounds will be played until one team outslugs the other. The winning team will be credited with a run and a hit.
Japan Series On November 6, 2010, the record for longest
Japan Series game was set in Game 6. The
Chiba Lotte Marines and the
Chunichi Dragons played 15 innings totaling 5 hours and 43 minutes. The game ended a 2–2 tie leading to a Game 7 in which the Marines won the game and the championship.
Taiwan Series The longest game in
Taiwan Series's history took place in
Game 6 on October 24, 2009. The
Brother Elephants defeated the
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions 5 to 4 and tied the series 3–3 after 17 innings that totals 6 hours 14 minutes. The Lions eventually took the title after defeating the Elephants 5 to 2 in Game 7.
College baseball The longest
college baseball game was played between
Texas and
Boston College on May 30,
2009, in a regional
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament game at
Austin, Texas. Texas won the game, 3–2, in 25 innings as the visiting team under NCAA tournament rules on home-team declaration during a tournament. The game lasted seven hours and three minutes. Three years later, another NCAA tournament game passed the 20-inning mark when Kent State defeated Kentucky, 7–6, in 21 innings in an opening-round game at the
Gary Regional in Gary, Indiana. ==Other records==