Padres players taped up the head of a stuffed ram and placed it on the bench in the dugout. Maybe it was a good-luck charm, possibly it was just a way to keep busy.
What else do you do in the 18th inning?
Troy Tulowitzki’s RBI double with two outs in the 22nd inning scored Willy Taveras and the Colorado Rockies beat the host San Diego Padres 2-1 in the longest game in the majors in nearly 15 years, a 6-hour, 16-minute marathon that ended at 1:21 a.m. local time Friday.
It was the longest game since Aug. 31, 1993, when Minnesota beat Cleveland 5-4 in 22 innings. It was also the longest game in Rockies history and in the 5-year history of Petco Park.
“That was an incredible baseball game,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “It will go down as one that everybody who was here, will never forget it.”
Manager Clint Hurdle noticed that his players were a little tight.
“This was a good game to get outside yourself,” Hurdle said. “About the 16th inning, I said, ‘Hey boys, no matter what’s in front of us, there’s a world of people out there who’ve got harder rows to hoe than we do. No matter what happens the rest of the night, have some fun with this thing.’ “
Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy and Rockies lefty Jeff Francis started a pitcher’s duel that the bullpens continued.
Peavy was trying to win his first four starts of a season for the first time. He struck out a season-high 11 in eight innings, the 25th time in his career he’s reached double digits. He allowed four hits, walked three and lowered his ERA to 1.20.
Francis kept the Padres scoreless for seven innings while allowing three hits, striking out seven and walking one.
In other NL games, it was: Philadelphia 10, Houston 2; Cincinnati 9, Chicago 2; Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 3, 10 innings; Atlanta 8, Florida 0; New York 3, Washington 2, 14 innings.
Taveras reached on a two-out grounder when shortstop Khalil Greene’s throw pulled 6-foot-7 first baseman Tony Clark off the bag. He stole second and took third on catcher Josh Bard’s throwing error. Tulowitzki doubled to left-center off Glendon Rusch (0-1), the seventh Padres pitcher.
Only a fraction of the crowd of 25,984 was around to see the final out.
The previous longest game this season by innings was 15, on April 9, when the Cubs beat the Pirates 6-4 at Pittsburgh. The previous longest in time was 4 hours, 53 minutes, Toronto at Texas on April 16. Texas won 7-5 in 14 innings.
After the 18th in this one, shortly after midnight, the sprinklers came on in the Park at the Park, a grassy knoll beyond the bleachers in right-center.
There was a seventh-inning stretch, a 14-inning stretch and finally, a 21st-inning stretch.
Greg Maddux had his glove on in the dugout in the 22nd. It was wishful thinking, because he’s scheduled to start Friday night at Arizona, when he’ll try for his 350th career victory.
Kip Wells (1-0), the eighth Rockies pitcher, pitched four innings.
Padres pitchers tied a team record with 20 strikeouts. Padres batters struck out 17 times. Colorado stranded 16 runners and San Diego 14.
The game was scoreless until the 14th.
The Rockies went ahead 1-0 in the top of the inning when Brad Hawpe drew a bases-loaded walk off Kevin Cameron to bring in Taveras.
The Padres tied it in the bottom of the inning when Josh Bard’s bases-loaded single off Manny Corpas brought in Kevin Kouzmanoff, aboard on a leadoff single. Tony Clark was forced at home for the second out and rookie Colt Morton – San Diego’s last position player – grounded to third in his fourth big league at-bat. It was Corpas’ second blown save in five chances.
Mets 3, Nationals 2, 14 innings
At New York, Damion Easley scored on Joel Hanrahan’s second wild pitch in the 14th inning and the Mets beat Washington on the 44th anniversary of the first game at Shea Stadium.
Easley led off the 14th with a single to left. He advanced to second on a wild pitch with one out and reached third when Hanrahan committed a throwing error trying to pick him off second.
Ryan Church struck out and Hanrahan (0-1) intentionally walked David Wright and Carlos Delgado to load the bases. Hanrahan then bounced the first pitch to pinch-hitter Brian Schneider, and Easley raced home with the winning run.
Six Mets relievers combined to throw seven scoreless innings with Jorge Sosa (2-1) getting six outs to earn the win.
Reds 9, Cubs 2
At Chicago, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 596th homer, and Joey Votto doubled with the bases loaded, homered and drove in five runs to help Cincinnati end its five-game losing streak.
With the wind blowing in at Wrigley for the first time in the three-game series, Votto delivered the key hits and the Reds’ Dusty Baker beat the team he managed from 2003-06. The Cubs won the first two games 9-5 and 12-3.
Edinson Volquez (2-0) gave up one run and four hits in five innings. Ted Lilly (0-3) allowed five runs and six hits in six innings.
Phillies 10, Astros 2
At Philadelphia, Brett Myers (2-1) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings, and Chris Coste tied a career high with four hits.
Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell had consecutive homers for the Phillies, who tied a season-high with 16 hits. Chase Utley added a two-run drive.
Brewers 5, Cardinals 3
At St. Louis, Prince Fielder hit his first home run of the season, a two-run drive off Brad Thompson (1-1) in the 10th inning.
Fielder, who led the NL with 50 homers last year, needed 54 at-bats to connect for the first time this year. He also tied the score with a bloop RBI double that capped a three-run, eighth-inning rally against Kyle Lohse and two relievers.
Braves 8, Marlins 0
At Miami, John Smoltz pitched five shutout innings and struck out 10, and Chipper Jones went 4-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs to help Atlanta beat Florida.
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