100 Years Ago Today 5/1/1920: Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves Play in Record Setting Marathon

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #13: Saturday, May 1, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. Boston Braves
Braves Field

Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves Duel 26-Innings With No Conclusion

On this dank Saturday afternoon Brooklyn and Boston set a new major league record for the longest game in baseball history.  For 26-innings and nearly four hours they battle at Braves Field until conditions permit no more play.  Regrettably all their respective efforts go for not as the contest ends in a 1-1 deadlock.  The Robins and Pittsburgh Pirates in 1917 previously set the National League record for longest game with a 22-inning contest.  The former major league record was set in 1906 when the Philadelphia A's and Boston Americans once scrapped for 24-innings.

Society for American Baseball Research: An Extreme Exercise in Futility

Upwards of 4,000 fans in attendance essentially see three games for the price of one.  They watch their home town Braves and visiting Robins battle to an otherwise typical 1-1 affair after six.  Brooklyn opens the scoring in the fifth on Ivy Olson's RBI single scoring Ernie Krueger from second base.  But their lead is short lived.  Boston knots the game on a Walton Cruise triple and Tony Boeckel's two out base hit.  Shortstop Rabbit Maranville then advances Boeckel with a double to center.  But Wally Hood who replaced center fielder Hi Myers as a pinch runner in the fourth throws out Boeckel at home while attempting to score.  In fact neither team would score again.  The Robins take 85 official at-bats with nary an extra base hit.  Only Jimmy Johnston and Zack Wheat register multiple hit games; Johnston is 2 for 10, and Wheat goes 2 for 9 with a walk.  Wheat also has now hit safely in twelve of Brooklyn's first thirteen games.  Meanwhile Boston musters five extra base hits but strand 17 runners on base and hit a mere 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position.  Braves second baseman Charlie Pick owns the distinction of going 0 for 11 with a strikeout.

Mano a mano, each starting pitcher goes the distance.  Boston's journeyman starter Joe Oeschger faces 90 batters, yielding one earned run on nine hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over a full 26 innings pitched.  During one stretch beginning in the eighth Oeschger retires 18 Robins in a row.  Further along he effectively no-hits Brooklyn over his final nine innings pitched.  For Brooklyn making his fourth start of the season and his second against Boston Leon Cadore faces 96 batters, surrendering one earned run on 15 hits and five walks with seven strikeouts likewise over a full 26 innings pitched.  Cadore pitches two separate stretches wherein he retires 15 straight batters followed by another run of 19 straight.  Alas both pitchers for all their galant efforts respectively walk away with a no decision.

• RECORD: 8-4 (.666)
• 2nd place; 1 GB

BRAVES FIELD