When fans talk about the longest MLB game in the last 10 years, they usually mean Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. Played between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox, this October marathon stretched across 7 hours and 20 minutes and required 18 innings to settle. Max Muncy ended the suffering with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 victory at 3:30 in the morning.
While baseball has seen plenty of long contests over its long history, modern rule changes—most notably the implementation of the extra-inning ghost runner rule in 2020—make a duration like this nearly impossible to replicate today. Let's look at how this game happened, what other marathons rank near the top of the decade, and why modern baseball looks completely different.
Anatomy of the 2018 World Series Marathon
Game 3 of the 2018 Fall Classic wasn't just long; it was a war of attrition that completely taxed both rosters. Manager Alex Cora of the Red Sox and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers burned through almost every player on their benches.
- Total Pitches: The two teams combined to throw 737 pitches over the course of the night.
- Player Usage: Los Angeles used 9 pitchers, while Boston used 8. Utility players found themselves playing unfamiliar positions as extra innings dragged on.
- The Turning Point: After hours of scoreless relief pitching, Max Muncy drove an 0-1 fastball from Nathan Eovaldi—who had already thrown six brilliant relief innings—over the left-field wall.
Eovaldi deserves his own footnote in this story. The Boston right-hander had started the game on the bench, entered in the 12th inning, and pitched with relentless grit until Muncy's blast ended it. Despite taking the loss, his performance remains one of the most memorable relief efforts in World Series history.
Other Notable Extra-Inning Marathons of the Decade
While the 2018 World Series clash holds the crown for total elapsed time, several other postseason and regular-season games from the past decade pushed players and bullpens to their absolute limits.
The 2022 Postseason Pitchers' Duel
During the 2022 American League Division Series, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners played an 18-inning scoreless stalemate until the 18th. Rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña hit a solo home run off Seattle reliever Penn Murfee to break a 0-0 tie. It lasted 6 hours and 22 minutes, matching the 2018 World Series for sheer length by innings while setting a postseason record with 42 total strikeouts.
The 2014 National League Division Series Classic
Back in October 2014, the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals squared off for an 18-inning playoff battle. Brandon Belt broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the 18th with a solo home run. The game ran for 6 hours and 23 minutes, standing as the longest non-World Series postseason game by time in major league history.
The 2015 Red Sox and Yankees Regular Season Marathon
In April 2015, bitter rivals Boston and New York met early in the season for a game that lasted 6 hours and 49 minutes. Played at Yankee Stadium, it featured sloppy defense, endless pitching changes, and a game-winning sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts that allowed Xander Bogaerts to score the deciding run in a 6-5 victory for Boston.
Why We Won't See Games Like This Anymore
If you're wondering why teams don't play 18-inning games anymore, the answer comes down to structural shifts introduced by Major League Baseball.
In 2020, MLB temporarily instituted a rule placing a runner on second base to start each half-inning of extra innings. This was designed to protect pitcher arms, shorten game times, and prevent teams from burning through their entire bullpen during a grueling April series. The rule proved so popular with television networks and team executives that it became permanent ahead of the 2023 season.
Because of this runner-on-second rule, extra-inning games rarely stretch past the 11th or 12th frame. Teams usually manufacture a run quickly, ending the drama before it can turn into an endurance test.
Historical Context: How the Modern Era Compares
To truly appreciate these recent marathons, we have to look back at what real baseball excess looked like before modern travel restrictions and safety limits.
The absolute longest game in major league history by innings took place on May 1, 1920, when the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves played 26 innings to a 1-1 tie before darkness forced officials to call the game. Both starting pitchers—Cad Davis and Joe Oeschger—threw the entire game.
Meanwhile, the longest game by time in professional baseball history happened in the minor leagues. The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings played a 33-inning minor league game in 1981 that lasted 8 hours and 25 minutes of actual playing time spread across two separate months. Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. both played in that contest.
Compared to those historic records, an 18-inning World Series game feels like a sprint—though the players stumbling off the field at 3:30 AM certainly didn't see it that way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the longest postseason game in MLB history?
The longest postseason games by innings are all 18-inning affairs: the 2005 NLDS Game 4 (Astros vs. Braves), the 2014 NLDS Game 2 (Giants vs. Nationals), the 2018 World Series Game 3 (Dodgers vs. Red Sox), and the 2022 ALDS Game 3 (Astros vs. Mariners). By duration, the 2018 World Series game is the longest at 7 hours and 20 minutes.
Did the Dodgers win the 2018 World Series game?
Yes. Max Muncy hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 3-2 win against the Boston Red Sox. However, the Red Sox ultimately won the series in five games.
Can regular season MLB games still go past 12 innings?
Technically yes, but it's exceptionally rare. Because the designated runner rule places a runner on second base starting in the 10th inning, offenses usually score quickly, which prevents games from lingering deep into the night.
Who pitched the most innings in a single relief outing during these modern marathons?
In the 2018 World Series game, Nathan Eovaldi tossed 6 brilliant innings of relief for Boston, throwing 97 pitches after already appearing in earlier games of the series. His heroic effort kept the Red Sox alive long past midnight.
