Baseball is a beloved sport that has been around for centuries. It has seen its fair share of incredible moments, from record-breaking home runs to scoreless games that have gone down in history. In this article, we'll explore the longest scoreless games in Major League Baseball, as well as the minor leagues and European leagues. In 1968, the Houston Astros and New York Mets went scoreless for 24 innings in a regular season game.
This was the longest time a major league game had ever gone scoreless, and it ended with the White Sox scoring in the 25th inning. This record was later broken by a National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946, which went scoreless for 26 innings. The longest game by innings in the major leagues was a 1-1 draw between the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Robins in 1920. This game lasted 26 innings, and it was also adopted by the Division of Honor (Spain) of the European leagues, the Italian Baseball League, and the Honkbal Hoofdklasse (Netherlands).
In 1981, a minor league baseball game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings set a new record for most innings played in a single professional game - 33 innings. The victory went to Gaylord Perry, who pitched 10 scoreless innings in relief with nine strikeouts. The second game of the American League Wild Card Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians set a new record for offensive futility in the major leagues. The game began as a pitching duel between San Diego's Jake Peavy, who pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 11, and Jeff Francis of Colorado, who went seven scoreless.
Neither bullpen allowed a run, and Boston's Milt Shoffner made an especially strong relief effort, pitching eight scoreless innings to conclude the game. Oscar González ended the scoreless drought with a solo home run at the end of the 15th inning. The record for 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 Rochester Red Wings. The second game of the American League Wild Card Series between Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians set a new record for offensive futility in the major leagues. In conclusion, there have been several incredible scoreless games throughout baseball history. From 24-inning games to 33-inning games, these feats of endurance are sure to be remembered for years to come.
