LONGEST GAME IN MWBL HISTORY – 25 INNINGS
APRIL 24th, 2014 – TRAVERSE CITY CRUSADERS vs. FREMONT CANNONS
In Game 5 of the first Fremont Cannons home stand of the 2014 season, the Cannons and Traverse City Crusaders would face off in the longest game in MWBL history. All told, there would be 17 pitchers contributing to this one before it was finished, and some very unfortunate batting lines for many players.
Grade 6 Yovani Gallardo got the start for Travis City, and Grade 4 Ross Detwiler started for Fremont. The game started out well for both pitchers, with the first four frames being scoreless. In the top of the fifth, the Crusaders struck first with an RBI single by Drew Stubbs scoring John McDonald from 1st. The Crusaders would take some time before scoring again. After 6.1 innings, Detwiler would depart in favor of Chad Qualls, who would hold down the fort for another 1.2 innings.
After 8 scoreless innings by Gallardo, Traverse City would turn it over to Joaquin Benoit for the save. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Justin Morneau came to the plate for Fremont and launched one over the right field wall to tie the game.
Fremont would threaten in the tenth, with two on and two outs, but Luke Gregerson was able to get Carlos Gomez to fly out. The Cannons would again look to go ahead in the eleventh, but Ryan Raburn would rob Nick Swisher of a home run with a leaping grab.
The twelfth inning would be very uneventful, but Pagan would begin the thirteenth for Traverse City with a leadoff walk. John McDonald couldn’t get a bunt down so Pagan took matters into his own hands/feet and stole second. Kevin Gregg would get the next two batters out and the Crusader threat was ended. The Cannons wouldn’t muster anything in the bottom of the frame, and neither side did anything in the fourteenth, so it was on to the fifteenth inning.
The fifteenth inning began with Pat Neshek taking the mound for the home team. Ryan Raburn welcomed him rudely with a leadoff double. The danger was short-lived as Casey Kotchman’s poor bunt led to Raburn being thrown out at third. Pagan would bat next and ground one to the second baseman; however, he was able to beat the double play throw at first. Pagan would again show off his wheels with a steal of second, but McDonald would strike out to end the inning. A nice diving play by Raburn in the bottom of the inning would rob Brandon Phillips of a leadoff double and the Cannons would do nothing else.
Traverse City would go 1-2-3 in the top of the sixteenth. After an out and a Chris Johnson single, the Crusaders brought in Ryan Pressly to pitch (their seventh pitcher), and he had little trouble getting the final two outs.
In the top of the seventeenth, Neshek would record the first two outs before walking Ryan Raburn. Fremont then brought in Pedro Strop, their seventh pitcher of the game. Kotchman attempted to atone for his poor bunt with a blast to the right field corner, but Carlos Gomez made a spectacular leaping catch to end the Crusaders’ chances. Ryan Pressly would hold down the Cannons in the bottom of the inning to send it to the eighteenth.
Strop did his job to shut down the Traverse City batters in the top of the eighteenth. In the bottom, Logan Morrison led off with a single to left. Alcides Escobar showed that the Cannons bunting skills were also lacking as Morrison was thrown out at second. DeJesus hit one to first but Escobar was running so only the out at first was recorded. With two outs and a runner on second, Traverse City elected to walk Chris Johnson to face Carlos Gomez. Gomez showed his patience by taking another walk, setting up a bases-loaded at-bat for Wilin Rosario.
“PRESSLY cranks it up … lofted down the line to left … RABURN drifts over … he’s under it and makes the catch”
After two games worth of baseball, Strop struck out the side in the top of the nineteenth. Pressly would set the Cannons down in the bottom.
Fremont began the twentieth inning by bringing out starter Ricky Nolasco in relief, their ninth pitcher. The first at-bat was a bit shaky as Todd Frazier hit one just to the foul side of the pole, but Nolasco was then able to get him to fly out. The next batter, Raburn, would single. Kotchman would not attempt a bunt this time, but did move the runner over via a groundout to third. With two outs and a runner at second, Pagan lined one into left. Swisher charged it on the hop, and the Crusader’s would not risk the throw and kept Raburn at third. McDonald again came up in a key situation.
“RABURN down the line some at third … the pitch … hit deep to left field SWISHER’s racing back … still after it … now he’s there … and hauls it in”
In the bottom of the twentieth, Alcides Escobar would single to left center with one out, and then steal second. Pressly would then walk David DeJesus, bringing up Chris Johnson with two on and one out.
“The runners take their lead … and the pitch comes in … grounded hard to short … could be two McDONALD fields it … flips to DOZIER at second … over to first … oh, double play and they get out of the inning”
Nolasco would record the first two outs in the twenty-first inning before a Yan Gomes single, but Marlon Byrd would then strike out. In the bottom of the twenty-first, Wilin Rosario got on via a one-out double. Pressly struck out Swisher, then Morneau lined a soft one to center “here comes STUBBS… he makes the running catch … steals a hit from MORNEAU … that’s three away”
In the twenty-second inning, Fremont would again turn to a starter, Samuel Deduno, to keep the game going. It was a shaky start for Deduno to the inning, with a leadoff walk followed by a HBP. Kotchman again attempted a sac bunt- this time; he successfully advanced the runners to second and third. With only one out, Pagan stepped to the plate.
“Infielders in … the runners take their lead … here’s the delivery … swung on toward the gap … GOMEZ races in … he stabs for it … and makes the catch in the webbing …both runners tag … GOMEZ turns and sets”
But again, the Crusaders would be conservative and hold the runner. McDonald came to bat and struck out to end a great chance for Traverse City, and a great chance for tired fans to leave.
In the bottom of the twenty-second, the first two batters would go down before Escobar would single. He was moving on the hit-and-run, but DeJesus was thrown out at 1st.
To the top of twenty-three we went. Gomes would get on with a two-out single, but Byrd flew out to end the top of the inning. Pressly started the bottom of the twenty-third by allowing a leadoff single to Chris Johnson, followed by another by Carlos Gomez. Pressly then dug deep, getting strikeouts of Wilin Rosario, Nick Swisher, and Justin Morneau as the Cannons’ chances fizzled.
Continuing in the twenty-fourth, Deduno got the first batter before allowing a single to Ryan Raburn. Kotchman grounded to short, forcing Raburn but beating the double play. Pagan walked, putting two on with two outs for McDonald.
“J. McDONALD facing S. DEDUNO, T 24th, 2 Outs, 1st and 2nd, Tied 1-1. Now the pitch … grounded to the right side … MORNEAU knocks it down … he’s up with it and he beats McDONALD to first … three down”
In the bottom of the twenty-fourth, Fremont would get Morrison aboard through a one-out single, but Pressly again shut the door on the Cannons.
To begin the twenty-fifth inning, Fremont brought in Carter Capps, their tenth pitcher, leaving only the next day’s starter Juan Nicasio. Capps struck out the first two Traverse City batters, but then hung one for Yan Gomes.
“CAPPS comes to the plate … a blast to center … DeJESUS runs straight back … turns he’ll look … but he won’t touch it … its long gone! … Home Run for GOMES”
Capps would shake off the mistake and strikeout Marlon Byrd, hoping Fremont could get some offense in the bottom of the frame. Pressly came out again, having been pitching on fumes for a while. Chris Johnson gave Fremont hope with a leadoff single. Carlos Gomez followed up with an infield hit. Wilin Rosario then grounded it through short, but Fremont held the runners to load the bases with no outs. Pressly faced Swisher next. “They’re playing him in … the runners take their lead … PRESSLY deals … half swing … oh! Nick went too far … out on strikes … one away! … and he leaves the bases loaded”
Next up was Justin Morneau. “They’re pulled in around the infield … the runners take their lead … PRESSLY now … swung on… stroked solidly to left field … RABURN drifts over toward the line … back… and he hauls it in … the runners are tagging…but they’re holding him at third … that ball just not deep enough”
After squandering two attempts at a tie or the lead, Brandon Phillips stood at the plate.
“Now the pitch … base hit right field … BYRD is after it … he cuts it off deep in the gap JOHNSON scores … tie game … GOMEZ is well around third … ROSARIO is around second they’re waving GOMEZ in, they’re holding ROSARIO at second, here comes the throw home here’s the play at the plate … and he’s … safe easily
FINAL SCORE: CANNONS 3 – CRUSADERS 2
After twenty-five innings (nearly three games worth of baseball), 17 pitchers, 36 hits, and only 5 runs, this one was over. Traverse City left 17 on base, Fremont left 20 (Morneau had 10 LOB himself). Kotchman went 0-9. Byrd, Swisher, Rosario, and Morneau struck out 5 times. On the plus side, Ryan Raburn went 3-8 and was a constant threat, Chris Johnson 4-9 with two walks, and Ryan Pressly recorded 11 strikeouts in 9.1 relief innings, pitching much of them as a Grade 1. Only one error was committed in the game.
