View source for Brooklyn Dodgers 1, Boston Braves 1 (26 innings)

{{Use American English|date=January 2024}}
{{Short description|1920 baseball game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Featured article}}
[[File:26 innings (high res).png|thumb|upright=1.4|alt=Newspaper cartoon depicting significant moments from the game. 1. A player runs into another ("Wheat interferes with Pick and is called out"). 2. Wheat catching a fly ball. 3. A player falling down while throwing a ball past another player running towards him while an umpire watches ("Houke after blocking Gowdy's low throw"). 4. A large image of a play at home plate ("The climax of the hair raising double play in the 17th"). Gowdy is stretched out in the dirt reaching with the ball in an outstretched hand to tag Koney (Konetchy) who is sliding foot-first into the plate. An umpire signals "out" while another player looks on and says "Hank how can we ever thank you?"  5. Statues of Oeschger and Cadore on a pedestal labeled "Hall of Fame" ("Find a place for this pair"). 6. A man in a bowler hat holding an umbrella. It is raining. The man says, "Wonder if they'll be able to play two or three innings". 7. A player reaching out to catch a fly ball while two seated players watch ("Konetchy right on the dugout steps"). 8. A woman placing a personal ad, "George, come home, all will be forgiven". An insert shows George sitting on bleacher seats in the dark saying "C'Mon Tony" ("Many wives were on the point of advertising for a lost husband late last night"|Depiction of the game from ''[[The Boston Globe]]'']]
On Saturday, May 1, 1920, the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] and the [[Boston Braves]] played to a 1–1 [[tie (draw)#Baseball|tie]] in 26 [[inning]]s, the most innings ever played in a single game in the history of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). The game was played at [[Braves Field]] in [[Boston]] before a crowd estimated at 4,000. Both [[Leon Cadore]] of Brooklyn and [[Joe Oeschger]] of Boston pitched [[complete game]]s, and with 26 [[innings pitched]], jointly hold the record for the longest pitching appearance in MLB history. [[List of Major League Baseball records considered unbreakable#Most innings pitched in a single game – 26|Their record is considered unbreakable]], as modern pitchers rarely pitch even nine innings, and newer baseball rules have made long extra-innings games a rarity.
The day of the game saw rainy weather, and it was uncertain if the game would be played, but the skies cleared enough to allow it to proceed. Brooklyn scored a [[run (baseball)|run]] in the fifth inning, and Boston in the sixth; thereafter, the pitchers became increasingly dominant. As the game exceeded eighteen innings, the small crowd at Braves Field cheered both pitchers. The last twenty innings were scoreless, and when darkness started to fall, the umpires called a halt after the twenty-sixth inning, as baseball fields did not yet have artificial lighting.
There have been claims that the lengthy pitching appearance ruined the arms of Oeschger and Cadore, but both pitched several more years in the major leagues, and Oeschger won twenty games in 1921. The performance meant that they remained better known than other former major leaguers of that era. Although 25-inning games were played in the major leagues in 1974 and 1984, each team involved used several pitchers, and the records for endurance posted by Oeschger and Cadore were not threatened. No major league pitcher has pitched twenty innings in a game since 1929.
== Background ==
[[File:Leon Cadore baseball card.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A man in an old-style baseball uniform, seemingly in the act of pitching a baseball|[[Leon Cadore]] on a 1922 [[baseball card]]]]
On May 1, 1920, the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] played the [[Boston Braves]] at [[Braves Field]] in Boston.<ref name = "boxscore" />
The Dodgers, or Robins, as they were then sometimes called after their [[manager (baseball)|manager]], [[Wilbert Robinson]], had won the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] title in 1916.{{sfn|''A Baseball Century''|p=177}} Although they had fallen to fifth place by 1919, they were well-regarded as the 1920 season began. [[Leon Cadore]] was not the [[ace (baseball)|ace]] of Robinson's [[pitcher|pitching]] staff—[[Burleigh Grimes]] was—but he had a 14–12 [[Win–loss record (pitching)|win-loss record]] in 1919, his best performance to that point.<ref name="sports">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1955/04/11/26-innings-to-a-tie|title=26 innings to a tie|date=April 11, 1955|access-date=September 18, 2023|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://vault.si.com/vault/1955/04/11/26-innings-to-a-tie|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Leon">{{cite web|publisher=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=November 13, 2023|title=Leon Cadore|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cadorle01.shtml|archive-date=November 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113232710/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cadorle01.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 25, 1919, Cadore was involved in a well-known stunt, pulled by [[Casey Stengel]], then a member of the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] who had been traded from the Dodgers. Cadore captured a sparrow and gave it to Stengel, who placed it under his cap. Called to bat, Stengel received mixed boos and cheers from the Brooklyn crowd as a former Dodger and doffed his cap, whereupon the bird flew away to great laughter from the crowd.{{sfn|Creamer|pp=128–129}}{{sfn|Appel|pp=393–397}} Stengel later stated of Cadore, who was a roommate while both were with the Dodgers, "Wonderful person, wonderful pitcher with a brilliant mind."<ref name="Leon interview" />
The Braves in 1920 were several years on from their great success, in 1914, when manager [[George Stallings]] led the team dubbed the [[Miracle Braves]] from last place on the Fourth of July to a [[whitewash (sport)|sweep]] of the [[1914 World Series|that year's World Series]].{{sfn|Craig|pp=99–111, 118}} The [[starting pitcher]] for the Braves on May 1, 1920, [[Joe Oeschger]], had a 15–14 win-loss record in 1917, falling to 6–18 in 1918 and 4–4 in 1919.<ref name="sports" /><ref name = "Joe" /> A year and a day before the May 1 game, Oeschger, then a member of the [[Philadelphia Phillies]], had pitched 20 innings in a 9–9 [[tie (draw)#Baseball|tie]] with Brooklyn, with Grimes pitching for the Dodgers.<ref name="April 30">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI191904300.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |title=Brooklyn Robins vs Philadelphia Phillies Box Score: April 30, 1919 |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI191904300.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Ties, brought on by adverse weather or the fall of darkness, were common in MLB in the time before [[Night game|night baseball]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Can you tie in baseball?|url=https://www.baseballbible.net/can-you-tie-in-baseball/|date=May 24, 2023|first=Mark|last=Bailey|access-date=October 19, 2023|website=Baseball Bible|archive-date=October 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021164037/https://www.baseballbible.net/can-you-tie-in-baseball/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Later in 1919, Oeschger had been traded to the [[New York Giants (baseball)|New York Giants]] and then to Boston.<ref name="oral" /> Both Oeschger and Cadore were 28-year-old right-handers.<ref name = "sabr" />
The Dodgers had won eight of their first twelve games going into May 1, and were in second place out of eight in the National League [[standings (sports)|standings]], half a [[games behind|game behind]] the [[1919 World Series]] winners, the [[Cincinnati Reds]]. Boston had a 4–5 record and was in fifth place, 3{{frac|1|2}} games behind the Reds.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/?year=1920&month=4&day=30 |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |title=MLB Scores and Standings Friday, April 30, 1920 |access-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012194525/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/?year=1920&month=4&day=30 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=World Series winners|publisher=[[ESPN]]|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/worldseries/history/winners|access-date=October 11, 2023|archive-date=October 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006130054/https://www.espn.com/mlb/worldseries/history/winners|url-status=live}}</ref>  Earlier in the 1920 season, Oeschger and Cadore had opposed each other in Brooklyn, with Cadore the winning pitcher over Oeschger, 1–0 in 11 innings.<ref name="April 30"/><ref name="record" />
The morning of May 1 saw light rain in Boston; Cadore and his roommate, [[Les Mann]], were expecting a [[Rainout (sports)|rainout]]. Hearing no word from their ball club, they reported to Braves Field for the 3:00 pm game, and Cadore learned he would be the starting pitcher if the game was played.{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=38}} Robinson spent his time before the game entertaining the baseball writers with tales of the old [[Baltimore Orioles (1882–1899)|Baltimore Orioles]], for whom he had played. Stallings, who was deeply superstitious,  preferred not to announce his starting pitcher until just before game time. The Boston manager was outraged when a Brooklyn player casually walked by the home dugout, scattering peanuts to attract pigeons. Stallings hated the birds, something well-known in the National League.{{sfn|Macht|p=104}}
By game time, the rain had slowed, and the weather was cold and blustery. Oeschger remembered, "We didn't think the game would be played, but we had to report to the park. It was a Saturday, and I didn't think I would pitch because Manager Stallings usually pitched me on Sundays because I went to church. He always played his hunches."<ref name="sabr" /> But with [[Sunday baseball]] still illegal in Massachusetts, the Braves had no game the following day, and Oeschger was given the Saturday afternoon start.{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=38}} He was glad to hear that Cadore would be starting for Brooklyn, wanting revenge for the extra-inning loss.<ref name="sabr">{{cite web |title=May 1, 1920: An extreme exercise in futility: Braves, Dodgers play 26 innings to no decision |first=Warren |last=Corbett |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-1-1920-an-extreme-exercise-in-futility-braves-dodgers-play-26-innings-to-no-decision/ |date=2015 |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=September 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919230434/https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-1-1920-an-extreme-exercise-in-futility-braves-dodgers-play-26-innings-to-no-decision/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== The game ==
[[File:Braves ad 1920.jpg|thumb|alt=Newspaper ad for baseball tickets for the game|Advertisement for baseball tickets for the May 1 game]]
With the weather threatening rain, few believed it would be possible to start the game, let alone finish it. Thus, only 4,000 or so fans went to Braves Field to view the contest.<ref name="Globe" /> It was drizzling as the game began,<ref name = "record" /> with a game time temperature of {{convert|49|F|C}}.{{sfn|Macht|p=104}}
===First nine innings ===
In the [[glossary of baseball terms#top of the inning|top]] of the first inning, although Brooklyn's [[right fielder]], [[Bernie Neis]], [[glossary of baseball terms#reach or reached|reached]] on a [[throwing error]] by the Boston [[second baseman]], [[Charlie Pick]], he was promptly [[pickoff|picked off]] [[first base]] by Oeschger. [[Third baseman]] [[Jimmy Johnston]] [[single (baseball)|singled]], and was [[glossary of baseball terms#left on base|left at first base]] when [[Zack Wheat]] hit a [[pop fly]] to second base. In the [[glossary of baseball terms#bottom of the inning|bottom]] of the first, the Boston [[center fielder]], [[Ray Powell (baseball)|Ray Powell]], [[base on balls|walked]] to [[glossary of baseball terms#leadoff hitter|lead off]] the inning; Cadore [[out (baseball)|retired]] the next three batters and Powell got no further than second base.<ref name="boxscore" /> At the end of the first inning, the rain stopped abruptly, leaving a cold wind which blew in from the [[Charles River]] slowing many [[Batted ball|fly ball]]s and converting them to outs.<ref name="sports" />
[[File:Wilbert Robinson 1916.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=A large, smiling man in old-style baseball uniform|Brooklyn manager [[Wilbert Robinson]]]]
Brooklyn center fielder [[Hy Myers]] led off the top of the second inning with a single, and [[glossary of baseball terms#advance a runner|advanced]] to second base on Pick's second [[error (baseball)|error]] of the game. He could get no further; neither could third baseman [[Tony Boeckel]], who singled for Boston in the bottom of the second. After Brooklyn was retired [[glossary of baseball terms#go down in order|in order]] in the top of the third inning, Oeschger [[double (baseball)|doubled]] to [[center field]] to lead off the home half of the inning, and Powell [[sacrifice hit|sacrificed]] him to [[third base]]. Cadore, though, retired the side without a run being scored. Wheat walked with one out in the top of the fourth inning. When Myers hit a [[ground ball]], Wheat was ruled out for [[interference (baseball)|interference]]. Myers then [[stolen base|stole second]] and Robinson sent in [[Wally Hood (outfielder)|Wally Hood]] as a [[pinch runner]] (he remained in the game as center fielder). First baseman [[Ed Konetchy]] walked, and the [[shortstop]], [[Chuck Ward]], hit a fly ball to [[left field]] to retire the side. In the bottom of the fourth, Boeckel singled for Boston with two outs. He was [[caught stealing]] to retire the side.<ref name="boxscore" />
In the top of the fifth, the Brooklyn [[catcher]], [[Ernie Krueger]], walked and Cadore [[ground out (baseball)|grounded out]] to advance him to second base.<ref name="boxscore" /> Cadore's hit could have been a [[double play]] had not Oeschger [[glossary of baseball terms#muff|bobbled]] it, leaving him with only the play to first.<ref name="sports" /> Second baseman [[Ivy Olson]] batted next, and his [[base hit]] to shallow left field allowed Krueger [[run batted in|to score]].<ref name="boxscore" /> The Brooklyn run was scored on what Oeschger remembered as a [[glossary of baseball terms#broken-bat|broken-bat]] single.<ref name="Leon interview" /> Although Olson advanced to second base on an Oeschger [[wild pitch]], he advanced no further as the pitcher [[strikeout|struck out]] Neis and got Johnston to [[lineout (baseball)|line out]] to left field to end the Brooklyn fifth with the Dodgers now leading, 1–0. In the bottom of the fifth, shortstop [[Rabbit Maranville]] singled and advanced to second on a [[sacrifice bunt]] from catcher [[Mickey O'Neil]]. Oeschger struck out; Powell reached first base on an error by Olson, sending Maranville to third base. Pick hit a fly-ball out to end the threat.<ref name="boxscore" />
Oeschger allowed a single to Hood, the leadoff hitter in the top of the sixth. The [[base running|baserunner]] was picked off first base by a throw from O'Neil. In the bottom of the sixth, right fielder [[Walton Cruise]] [[triple (baseball)|tripled]] for Boston against the Braves Field [[scoreboard]] in left field with one out.<ref name="sabr" /><ref name="boxscore" /> Holke hit a fly ball to shallow left field that Wheat raced in to catch just off the ground; Cruise, thinking the hit might drop, was halfway down the baseline from [[third base]], but made it safely back as no one was covering third base, Johnston had left the base to try to reach the ball that Wheat caught.{{sfn|Macht|p=104}} Wheat, after catching the ball, had raced to third base with it in an attempt to tag Cruise; he was too late but earned applause from the crowd for the attempt.{{sfn|Stout|p=76}} The next batter, Boeckel, singled to tie the game at 1–1. Maranville doubled, and, trying to score, Boeckel was [[tag (baseball)|tagged]] out at [[home plate]] for the third out.<ref name="boxscore" />{{sfn|Sugar|p=177}} Krueger, the Brooklyn catcher, made the play after Cadore relayed the ball to him, but was [[glossary of baseball terms#spike|spiked]] by Boeckel and had to leave the game;{{sfn|Macht|p=105}} he was replaced by [[Rowdy Elliott]].<ref name = "boxscore" />
In the seventh inning, Oeschger retired the Dodgers in order, and Cadore allowed a single to Powell, who advanced to second base on a throwing error by Ward at shortstop before the Brooklyn pitcher retired the side. In the top of the eighth, Oeschger allowed a two-out single to Johnston; in the bottom of the inning, left fielder Les Mann singled, advanced to second on a Cruise sacrifice bunt, and went to third on a groundout by Holke. Boeckel hit a pop fly to shortstop to end the inning.<ref name="boxscore" />
Oeschger retired the side in order in the top of the ninth. Maranville singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and Stallings sent in [[Lloyd Christenbury]] [[pinch hitter|to hit for]] O'Neil; he also singled.<ref name="boxscore" /> Christenbury had attempted a sacrifice; Cadore's throw to first base hit him.<ref name="sabr" /> Oeschger sacrificed the runners to second and third, and Powell was walked to [[bases loaded|load the bases]] with one out. Pick hit into a double play to end the threat and send the game to [[extra innings]].<ref name="sabr" /><ref name="boxscore" /> Maranville had appeared to score the winning run, but Powell was ruled out at second base for running out of the [[baseball field#Running baseline|baseline]], voiding the run.<ref name="sports" />
=== Extra innings ===
{{quote box | align = right | width = 25em | salign = right
| quote = The Robins and the Braves celebrated May Day in this ordinarily peaceful city by staging a prolonged, heart-breaking struggle for twenty-six innings at Braves Field and bombing to bits all major league records for duration of hostilities. When darkness drew its mantle over the scene, forbidding further battle, both teams were still on their feet, interlocked in a death clutch and each praying for one more inning in which to get the knockout blow.
As far as results in the chase for the pennant go the game was without effect, for the final score was 1 to 1. In the matter of thrills however, the oldest living man can remember nothing like it, nor can he find anything like it in his granddad's diary worth of comparison. Heart disease was the mildest complaint that grasped the spectators as they watched inning after inning slip away and the row of ciphers on the scoreboard began to slip over the fence and reach out into the Fenway. Nervous prostration threatened to engulf the stands as the twentieth inning passed away in the scoreless routine and the word was passed from the knowing fans to those of inferior baseball erudition that the National League record was twenty-two innings, the Robins having beat the Pirates by 6 to 5 in a game of that length played in Brooklyn on August 22, 1917.
| source = ''[[The New York Times]]'', "[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/02/112658354.html?pageNumber=20 Brooklyn and Boston break big league record by battling for twenty-six innings]". May 2, 1920, p. 20.}}
Stallings sent [[Hank Gowdy]] into the game as catcher, as the manager had pinch-hit for O'Neil.<ref name="boxscore" /> The batters were swinging for the one long hit that might win the game. These swings made it easy for the pitchers to retire them.<ref name="sports" /> During the eleventh inning, it started to drizzle again.{{sfn|Macht|p=104}} The pitchers allowed few baserunners as the game lengthened through the first few extra innings: Oeschger retired every batter after the ninth inning until Wheat singled with two outs in the fourteenth. Cadore, after retiring the side in order for the first time in the game in the tenth inning, allowed a two-out single to Gowdy in the eleventh, a two-out walk to Mann in the twelfth, a leadoff single to Holke in the thirteenth and a one-out walk to Powell in the fourteenth. None of these five baserunners was able to advance.<ref name="sabr" /><ref name="boxscore" />
Cruise walked to lead off the bottom of the fifteenth, and Holke attempted a sacrifice but both men were safe, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Consecutive groundouts by Boeckel and Maranville, each [[force play|forcing]] a runner at third base, and a fly ball out by Gowdy, sent the game to a sixteenth inning. Although Neis singled for Brooklyn with two outs in the sixteenth, he was left at first base. Boston went in order in the bottom of the inning,<ref name="boxscore" /> though Oeschger nearly won his own game with a long [[glossary of baseball terms#drive|drive]] to left field that required Wheat to make a leaping catch in front of [[baseball field#outfield wall|the wall]].{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=40}}
In the top of the seventeenth, Wheat singled and Hood sacrificed him to second. Konetchy singled, sending Wheat to third base with one out. Ward hit the ball to Maranville at shortstop;<ref name = "boxscore" /> he threw to third base, hoping to catch Wheat off the bag, but Wheat scrambled back and was safe.{{sfn|Macht|p=105}} With the [[glossary of baseball terms#bases loaded|bases loaded]], Elliott grounded to Oeschger, who [[glossary of baseball terms#1-2-3 double play|threw home]] to Gowdy for the force out. Gowdy threw to first base in an attempt to complete the double play, but his throw was off line, and the best Holke could do is knock it down. Konetchy saw this and tried to score; he was tagged out in front of home plate by Gowdy after Holke threw the ball back to him.<ref name="sabr" />
[[File:(George Stallings, manager, Boston NL (baseball)) LOC 14225639549.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Man in a suit and hat sitting in a baseball dugout|Boston manager [[George Stallings]]]]
Oeschger remembered, "I was getting tired by the eighteenth inning, but the players kept telling me: 'Just one inning, Joe, and we'll get a run.' Stallings never did ask me if I wanted to come out. But the batters were griping to stop the game. I didn't want to stop."<ref name="oral" /> Stallings did assure Oeschger, "Hold 'em, we'll get 'em next inning"; Cadore later stated that had Robinson tried to remove the Brooklyn pitcher from the game, he would have strangled his own manager.{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=40}} By the nineteenth inning, the crowd was impartially cheering both pitchers, whenever one of them left the [[pitcher's mound]] or came to bat.<ref name="Globe" /> There was only one baserunner in the eighteenth through twenty-first innings, Mann, who singled to lead off the home half of the twentieth inning, and was picked off first base by a throw from catcher Elliott.<ref name="boxscore" /> During the twentieth inning, Robinson offered to relieve Cadore; the Brooklyn pitcher replied, "If that other fellow can go one more inning, I can too."<ref name="sabr" /> Explained Oeschger, "If a pitcher couldn't go the distance, he soon found himself some other form of occupation."<ref name="sabr" />
In the top of the twenty-second inning, Hood walked with two outs and stole second, and was left there as Konetsky grounded out. There were no baserunners in the twenty-third, twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth innings.<ref name="boxscore" /> The twenty-fifth inning broke the MLB record for longest game in terms of innings; the previous record of twenty-four was set by the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] and [[Boston Red Sox]] on September 1, 1905.<ref name="Globe" /> Several of the unused players on the Brooklyn [[dugout (baseball)|bench]], led by Grimes, asked their manager for the opportunity to play in the history-making marathon game. Robinson stayed with the [[batting order (baseball)|lineup]], and the pitcher, he had.{{sfn|Sugar|p=178}}
No one reached base for the Dodgers in the top of the twenty-sixth inning. In the bottom of the inning, Holke got an [[Bunt (baseball)|bunt]] single with two outs, but could not advance.<ref name="boxscore" />{{sfn|Macht|p=106}} According to Oeschger, the [[outfielder]]s were complaining they could not see the ball;<ref name="Leon interview">{{cite news |title=Golden anniversary almost slips by |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review/40171644/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |location=[[Spokane, Washington]] |date=June 10, 1970 |page=19 |first=Harry |last=Missildine |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review/40171644/ |url-status=live }}</ref> there was no artificial light as the game preceded night baseball.<ref name="latimes" /> After the twenty-sixth inning, the [[home plate umpire]], [[Barry McCormick]], surveyed the increasing darkness on the field and consulted with the two managers.<ref name="oral" /> Olson did not wish to stop, wanting the distinction of having played the equivalent of three games that would come with the 27th inning, and asked McCormick to continue. The umpire responded, "Not without a miner's lamp" and ended the game, which finished as a 1–1 tie.<ref name="sports" /> Played on the first day of [[Daylight Savings Time]] for 1920, the game lasted three hours and fifty minutes. The marginal weather conditions ("dark clouds and mist") resulted in inadequate lighting with almost an hour to go before sunset.<ref name="sabr" /> The fans booed as the game was called. McCormick later stated that he had been hoping for a tie, and that it would have been a shame for either pitcher to lose the game.{{sfn|Macht|p=106}}
Oeschger stated, "I certainly didn't want it to stop and I'm sure Cadore didn't either."<ref name="Leon interview" /> Starting with the eighteenth inning, he had pitched the equivalent of a [[no hitter]], allowing Brooklyn no hits and one walk in the final nine innings.{{sfn|Macht|pp=105–106}}  Cadore, after his struggles in the first nine innings, had not allowed a Boston runner to reach third base in extra innings, and only two had reached second base.{{sfn|Stout|p=76}} He stated in the [[changing room|clubhouse]], "I found myself growing sleepy at the finish."{{sfn|''A Baseball Century''|p=249}} Wheat quipped, "I carried enough lumber to the plate to build a house today."{{sfn|Macht|p=106}} Only three baseballs were used in the entire contest.{{sfn|Craig|p=119}}
== Records set ==
[[File:Joe Oeschger baseball card for Boston Nationals Uniform 1922.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=Baseball card of a man wearing an old-time baseball uniform|[[Joe Oeschger]] still holds a number of MLB records.]]
The game set many records, which still stand as of 2025. The May 1, 1920, game remains MLB's longest in terms of innings.<ref>{{cite news|title=The longest game in MLB history, by the numbers|date=May 1, 2023|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36330197/longest-mlb-game-26-innings-braves-robins-date|access-date=September 18, 2023|publisher=[[ESPN]]|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36330197/longest-mlb-game-26-innings-braves-robins-date|url-status=live}}</ref> Twice, MLB games have gone 25 innings, in 1974 and 1984.<ref>{{cite web |last=Adler |first=David |date=June 16, 2020 |title=The longest games in MLB history |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/longest-games-in-baseball-history-c275773542 |website=[[MLB.com]] |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=September 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921223254/https://www.mlb.com/news/longest-games-in-baseball-history-c275773542 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1974 game, the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] used seven pitchers in a 4–3 victory over the [[New York Mets]], who used six. [[Claude Osteen]] went the longest, pitching 9{{frac|1|3}} innings.<ref>{{cite web |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=September 19, 2023 |title=St. Louis Cardinals vs New York Mets Box Score: September 11, 1974 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN197409110.shtml |archive-date=February 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214125315/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN197409110.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 8, 1984, the [[Chicago White Sox]] used eight pitchers to defeat the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] (who used six), 7–6; [[Chuck Porter (baseball)|Chuck Porter]] went the longest, pitching 7{{frac|1|3}} innings.<ref>{{cite web |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=September 19, 2023 |title=Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago White Sox Box Score: May 8, 1984 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198405080.shtml |archive-date=September 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906140333/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198405080.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Philip J. Lowry, in his 2010 study of extra inning games, predicted a 50 percent chance that the record of 26 innings played by two teams in one MLB game would be broken in the next 60 years.{{sfn|Lowry|p=30}} In 2020, however, MLB instituted a rule that teams start each extra inning with an [[Extra innings#Ghost runner|automatic runner]] at second base, something that has greatly reduced the number of long extra inning games.<ref>{{cite web|website=[[The Athletic]]|url=https://theathletic.com/4191908/2023/02/13/mlb-extra-innings-position-player-rules/|title=MLB makes extra-inning ghost-runner rule permanent, per sources: How has it changed the game?|date=February 13, 2023|access-date=October 11, 2023|first1=Evan|last1=Drellich|first2=Eno|last2=Sarris|archive-date=October 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012194525/https://theathletic.com/4191908/2023/02/13/mlb-extra-innings-position-player-rules/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Cadore and Oeschger jointly hold the MLB records for longest pitching appearance and longest [[complete game]]. The May 1, 1920, game made Oeschger the only pitcher in MLB history to twice pitch twenty innings in a game, a distinction he still holds.<ref name="sabr" /> No player has pitched twenty or more innings in an MLB game since 1929.<ref name="sabr" />{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=39}} According to ''[[Baseball Almanac]]'', neither the record of 26 innings pitched in a game, nor Oeschger's record of two twenty-inning appearances, will ever be broken.<ref name="Joe">{{cite web|publisher=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=September 19, 2023|title=Joe Oeschger stats|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=oeschjo01|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=oeschjo01|url-status=live}}</ref> Columnist Harry Missildine wrote in 1970, "You know the line, 'Records are made to be broken'. Seems more likely the one shared by Joe Oeschger and Leon Cadore was made to stand forever."<ref name="Leon interview" /> In 2007, sports columnist Bill Valyo agreed that the record would never be broken, as the increased use of the [[relief pitcher]] made it highly unlikely a pitcher could be called upon to pitch so long.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Valyo |title=In good old days, pitchers just kept going and going |date=August 17, 2007 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sebastian-sun/132085981/ |page=9 |newspaper=[[Treasure Coast Newspapers#History|Sebastian Sun]] |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=September 19, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065459/https://www.newspapers.com/article/sebastian-sun/132085981/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Warren Corbett of the [[Society for American Baseball Research]], writing in 2015, "Today a 26-inning complete game seems preposterous, not to mention abusive."<ref name="sabr" />
Oeschger also holds the record for consecutive scoreless innings in a single game, with 21{{frac|2|3}}.<ref name="latimes" /> Cadore faced 96 batters, a record for an MLB game (second is Oeschger with 90).<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[StatMuse]]|url=https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/most-tbf-by-a-pitcher-in-a-game|title=Leon Cadore has faced the most batters in a game, with 96 batters faced against the Boston Braves on May 1, 1920.|access-date=September 20, 2023|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/most-tbf-by-a-pitcher-in-a-game|url-status=live}}</ref> Cadore's twelve [[assist (baseball)|assists]] in an MLB game by a pitcher tied a record set by [[Nick Altrock]] of the White Sox in 1908; no one has ever broken it.<ref>{{cite web |website=Baseball-Reference.com |title=Assists records by pitchers |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_pias.shtml |access-date=September 19, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_pias.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Charlie Pick is the only player in MLB history to have eleven [[at bat]]s in a game without getting a hit.<ref name="sabr" /> No one has ever equaled Holke's record of 42 [[putout]]s in a game by a first baseman.<ref>{{cite web |website=Baseball-Reference.com |title=Official putout records for MLB first basemen |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_1bpu.shtml |access-date=September 19, 2023 |archive-date=October 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025005852/https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_1bpu.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Those putouts, together with Holke's assist in the [[baseball scorekeeping|1–2–3–2]] double play in the seventeenth inning, gave him 43 [[total chances]], also an MLB record for a first baseman.<ref name="boxscore" /><ref>{{cite web |website=Baseball-Reference.com |title=Chances records for first basemen |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_1bch.shtml |access-date=September 23, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_1bch.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Reaction and aftermath ==
In addition to the hometown Boston reporters, only Eddie Murphy of the [[The Sun (New York City)|New York ''Sun'']] and Tommy Rice of the ''[[Brooklyn Eagle]]'' had covered the game. As word got out about the marathon game, the writers were deluged with requests for stories and special reports. Since the [[press box]] at Braves Field lacked electric lighting, the writers, the [[official scorer]], and the [[Western Union]] [[telegraphist]] did their postgame work by candle light.{{sfn|Macht|p=106}} Despite their efforts, the game was overshadowed in the headlines because on May 1, [[Babe Ruth]] hit his first [[home run]] as a member of the [[New York Yankees]].{{sfn|Stout|p=76}}
The day after the game, James C. O'Leary of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' deemed it "one of the greatest games ever played", and Cadore's and Oeschger's duel "the most wonderful pitching stunt ever performed, and some classy playing in thrilling situations, such as one sees only once in a lifetime".<ref name="Globe">{{cite news|pages=1, 17|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|last=O'Leary|first=James C.|date=May 2, 1920|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/20985276/|title=Braves-Dodgers in 26-inning tie|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=September 18, 2023|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002071002/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/20985276/|url-status=live}} Page 17 [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/131998905/ here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/131998905/ |date=October 2, 2023 }}</ref> O'Leary stated that the pitching duel "was a battle of giants, fought until both were practically exhausted, but neither giving a sign of giving up. There was glory enough in it for both, and after the 24th inning it really would have been a pity for either one to be declared the loser."<ref name="Globe" />
Also on May 2, National League president [[John Heydler]] sent both pitchers congratulatory messages, especially expressing his pleasure that the pitching feat had taken place under baseball's new rules, that banned the [[spitball]]. The Dodgers, leaving Cadore behind at their hotel,{{sfn|Macht|p=106}} traveled to Brooklyn that Sunday to play the Phillies and lost in 13 innings. They then returned to Boston and lost to the Braves in 19 innings.{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=41}} Thus, they played 58 innings over 3 days and had only a tie to show for it.<ref name="Leon interview" /> Neither pitcher was used again for over a week, Oeschger pleading a leg muscle he had pulled while running the day after the game, and Cadore that his arm was so tired he could not comb his hair for three days, but each soon returned to his place in the pitching rotation.{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=41}} At the time, tie games were replayed if the schedule allowed an opportunity to do so (or if the outcome of the game mattered in the pennant race),<ref>{{cite web|first=Richard|last=Hershberger|title=Tie games in baseball|date=December 28, 2015|url=https://ordinary-times.com/2015/12/28/tie-games-in-baseball/|website=Ordinary Times|access-date=October 20, 2023|archive-date=November 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111223206/https://ordinary-times.com/2015/12/28/tie-games-in-baseball/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the May 1 game was replayed as the second game of a [[Doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader]] on June 25, Boston winning 4–2. Neither Cadore nor Oeschger pitched in the game, though Cadore was the winning pitcher of the regularly scheduled first game.<ref>{{cite news|title=Robins and Braves divide twin bill|date=June 26, 1920|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-britain-herald/132054119/|page=8|newspaper=New Britain Herald|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=September 19, 2023|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065459/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-britain-herald/132054119/|url-status=live}}</ref> Brooklyn was the National League champion for 1920; Boston finished seventh.<ref name="sports" /> Both Oeschger and Cadore won 15 games in 1920.{{sfn|Sugar|p=177}} Cadore pitched twice for the Dodgers in their loss to the [[Cleveland Indians]] in the [[1920 World Series]], compiling a record of 0–1.<ref>{{cite web |title=1920 World Series |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=September 18, 2023 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1920_WS.shtml |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225140828/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1920_WS.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
O'Leary predicted that Cadore and Oeschger had "undoubtedly established a record which will stand as long as they live".<ref name="Globe" /> A myth arose, which long persisted in baseball, that both pitchers had ruined their arms in the marathon effort.<ref name="oral" >{{cite web|title=Joe Oeschger Remembers|first=Lynwood|last=Carranco|publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|year=1980|url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/joe-oeschger-remembers/|access-date=September 18, 2023|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://sabr.org/journal/article/joe-oeschger-remembers/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="record" /> In fact, both men pitched in the major leagues for several years after the game, Oeschger having the best year of his career in 1921 with 21 wins,<ref name="Joe" /><ref name="record">{{cite news |first1=Joe |last1=Reichler |author1-link=Joe Reichler |first2=Ben |last2=Olan |author2-link=Ben Olan |title=Oeschger, Cadore went route in 26-inning 1920 tie game |date=January 9, 1961 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record/132011440/ |page=34 |newspaper=[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]] |location=[[Hackensack, New Jersey]] |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record/132011440/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Cadore winning 13 games.{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=41}} Records of the number of pitches they threw on May 1 were not kept; Cadore estimated he had thrown at least 300, and Oeschger put his figure at around 250.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 9, 2013|title=The day the pitchers went 26 innings|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/35687/the-day-the-pitchers-went-26-innings|access-date=September 20, 2023|first=Dave|last=Schoenfeld|publisher=[[ESPN]]|language=en|archive-date=October 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025005852/https://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/35687/the-day-the-pitchers-went-26-innings|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Ferndale CA JC Oeschger Field NSGW.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Metal plaque with a dedication to Oeschger|Plaque honoring Oeschger, [[Ferndale, California]]]]
Cadore died in 1958 at age 66, having played most of his MLB career with the Dodgers, with brief stints with the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants, compiling a lifetime record of 68–72. He married the daughter of Brooklyn owner [[Charles H. Ebbets]] and worked as a stockbroker. That employment ended with the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]], after which he held other jobs. During his final hospitalization, his old roommate, Casey Stengel, sent him a telegram, "Hope you catch another sparrow and pitch another 26-inning game."<ref name="Leon obit" /> According to his obituary, his 26-inning performance "lifted Cadore from the comparative obscurity of 'an old major leaguer' to fame forever in one of the great pitching feats of all time".<ref name="Leon obit">{{cite news |title=Leon Cadore dead at 66 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review/40171644/ |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |date=March 17, 1958 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review/40171644/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sportswriter [[Bert Randolph Sugar]] wrote, "for Cadore and Oeschger, [the May 1 game] would so intertwine their names that they would forever be known in tandem".{{sfn|Sugar|p=178}}
Oeschger retired from MLB in 1925 with a lifetime record of 83–116, and was a junior high school physical education teacher in the San Francisco school system for many years. In 1983, he threw out the [[ceremonial first pitch]] in Philadelphia during [[1983 World Series|the World Series]]. He died in [[Rohnert Park, California]], in 1986 at age 94.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|title=Baseball's longest game: Duel till dusk|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/131980395/|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 1, 2003|first=Howie|last=Stalwick|page=117|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=September 18, 2023|archive-date=October 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065459/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/131980395/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Oeschger dead at 94; threw 26 innings |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/758613613/?match=1&clipping_id=132009391 |newspaper=[[Oakland Tribune]] |date=July 30, 1986 |page=F-3 |via=Newspapers.com |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002065458/https://www.newspapers.com/image/758613613/?match=1&clipping_id=132009391 |url-status=live }}</ref> Throughout his life, Oeschger continued to receive autograph requests for pitching the 26-inning game. He had copies of the [[box score]] made and sent them out with his signature.{{sfn|Macht|p=107}}
In 1986, Lowell Reidenbaugh for ''[[The Sporting News]]'' ranked the May 1 game as the 6th most memorable ever played in MLB;{{sfn|Reidenbaugh|p=5}} in 1994, Sugar ranked it at number 46.{{sfn|Sugar|p=5}} According to the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', neither pitcher ever seemed too impressed by their feat; as Oeschger put it, "a 1–1 contest that goes 26 innings must have been dull to watch".<ref name="latimes" />
==Box score==
{{Linescore
|Date=May 1, 1920
|Time=3:00{{nbsp}}pm ([[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]])
|Location=[[Braves Field]] in Boston, Massachusetts<ref name="boxscore">{{cite web |website=Baseball-Reference.com |title=Brooklyn Robins vs Boston Braves Box Score: May 1, 1920 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN192005010.shtml |access-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-date=October 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025005833/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN192005010.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
|Road=Brooklyn Dodgers|RoadAbr=[[Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn]]
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=1|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|R10=0|R11=0|R12=0|R13=0|R14=0|R15=0|R16=0|R17=0|R18=0|R19=0|R20=0|R21=0|R22=0|R23=0|R24=0|R25=0|R26=0|RR=1|RH=9|RE=2
|Home=Boston Braves|HomeAbr=[[Boston Braves|Boston]]
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=1|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|H10=0|H11=0|H12=0|H13=0|H14=0|H15=0|H16=0|H17=0|H18=0|H19=0|H20=0|H21=0|H22=0|H23=0|H24=0|H25=0|H26=0|HR=1|HH=15|HE=2
|HSP=[[Joe Oeschger]]|RSP=[[Leon Cadore]]
|Umpires=[[Barry McCormick]] (HP), [[Bob Hart (umpire)|Bob Hart]]
|Attendance = 4,000 (estimated)
|}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" border="2"
!scope="col"|Brooklyn
!scope="col"|[[At bat|AB]]
!scope="col"|[[Run (baseball)|R]]
!scope="col"|[[Hit (baseball)|H]]
!scope="col"|[[Run batted in|RBI]]
!scope="col"|[[Base on balls|BB]]
!scope="col"|[[Strikeout|SO]]
!scope="col"|[[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Ivy|Olson}}, [[Second baseman|2B]]
|10
|0
|1
|1
|0
|1
|.183
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Bernie|Neis}}, [[Right fielder|RF]]
|10
|0
|1
|0
|0
|2
|.188
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Jimmy|Johnston}}, [[Third baseman|3B]]
|10
|0
|2
|0
|0
|1
|.250
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Zack|Wheat}}, [[Left fielder|LF]]
|9
|0
|2
|0
|1
|0
|.385
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Hy|Myers}}, [[Center fielder|CF]]
|2
|0
|1
|0
|0
|0
|.298
|-
!scope="row"|&nbsp;&nbsp;{{sortname|Wally|Hood|Wally Hood (outfielder)}}, [[Pinch runner|PR]]–[[Center fielder|CF]]
|6
|0
|1
|0
|1
|1
|.250
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Ed|Konetchy}}, [[First baseman|1B]]
|9
|0
|1
|0
|1
|0
|.264
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Chuck|Ward}}, [[Shortstop|SS]]
|10
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.111
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Ernie|Krueger}}, [[Catcher|C]]
|2
|1
|0
|0
|1
|0
|.238
|-
!scope="row"|&nbsp;&nbsp;{{sortname|Rowdy|Elliott}}, [[Catcher|C]]
|7
|0
|0
|0
|0
|1
|.190
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Leon|Cadore}}, [[Pitcher|P]]
|10
|0
|0
|0
|0
|1
|.125
|- class="sortbottom"
!scope="row"|'''Team totals'''
|85
|1
|9
|1
|4
|7
|.106
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" border="2"
!scope="col"|Brooklyn
!scope="col"|[[Innings pitched|IP]]
!scope="col"|[[Hits allowed|H]]
!scope="col"|[[Runs (baseball)|R]]
!scope="col"|[[Earned runs|ER]]
!scope="col"|[[Base on balls|BB]]
!scope="col"|[[Strikeout|SO]]
!scope="col"|[[Home runs allowed|HR]]
!scope="col"|[[Earned run average|ERA]]
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Leon|Cadore}}
|26
|15
|1
|1
|5
|7
|0
|0.87
|-
|- class="sortbottom"
!scope="row"|'''Team totals'''
|26
|15
|1
|1
|5
|7
|0
|0.35
|}
Hood ran for Myers in the fourth inning.
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" border="2"
!Boston
![[At bat|AB]]
![[Run (baseball)|R]]
![[Hit (baseball)|H]]
![[Run batted in|RBI]]
![[Base on balls|BB]]
![[Strikeout|SO]]
![[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Ray|Powell|Ray Powell (baseball)}}, [[Center fielder|CF]]
|7
|0
|1
|0
|3
|0
|.140
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Charlie|Pick}}, [[Second baseman|2B]]
|11
|0
|0
|0
|0
|1
|.250
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Les|Mann}}, [[Left fielder|LF]]
|10
|0
|2
|0
|1
|1
|.244
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Walton|Cruise}}, [[Right fielder|RF]]
|9
|1
|1
|0
|1
|1
|.243
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Walter|Holke}}, [[First baseman|1B]]
|10
|0
|2
|0
|0
|0
|.200
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Tony|Boeckel}}, [[Third baseman|3B]]
|11
|0
|3
|1
|0
|0
|.233
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Rabbit|Maranville}}, [[Shortstop|SS]]
|10
|0
|3
|0
|0
|0
|.133
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Mickey|O'Neil}}, [[Catcher|C]]
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.208
|-
!scope="row"|&nbsp;&nbsp;{{sortname|Lloyd|Christenbury}}, [[Pinch hitter|PH]]
|1
|0
|1
|0
|0
|0
|1.000
|-
!scope="row"|&nbsp;&nbsp;{{sortname|Hank|Gowdy}}, [[Catcher|C]]
|6
|0
|1
|0
|0
|1
|.400
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Joe|Oeschger}}, [[Pitcher|P]]
|9
|0
|1
|0
|0
|3
|.100
|- class="sortbottom"
!scope="row"|'''Team totals'''
|86
|1
|15
|1
|5
|7
|.174
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" border="2"
!scope="col"|Boston
!scope="col"|[[Innings pitched|IP]]
!scope="col"|[[Hits allowed|H]]
!scope="col"|[[Runs (baseball)|R]]
!scope="col"|[[Earned runs|ER]]
!scope="col"|[[Base on balls|BB]]
!scope="col"|[[Strikeout|SO]]
!scope="col"|[[Home runs allowed|HR]]
!scope="col"|[[Earned run average|ERA]]
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Joe|Oeschger}}
|26
|9
|1
|1
|4
|7
|0
|0.49
|-
!scope="row"|'''Team totals'''
|26
|9
|1
|1
|4
|7
|0
|0.35
|}
Christenbury hit for O'Neil in the ninth inning.
{{col-end}}
== See also ==
*[[List of Major League Baseball records considered unbreakable]]
*[[Longest professional baseball game]], 33 innings in the minor leagues in 1981.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Sources==
*{{cite book|title=A Baseball Century : The First 100 Years of the National League|publisher=Macmillan|oclc=1147748172|year=1976|ref={{sfnRef|A Baseball Century}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Appel|first=Marty|author-link=Marty Appel|title=Casey Stengel: Baseball's Greatest Character|isbn=978-0-385-54048-3|edition=Kindle|year=2017|publisher= [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]|ref={{sfnRef|Appel}}}}
*{{cite book|title=A History of the Boston Braves: A Time Gone By|first=William J. |last=Craig|publisher=The History Press|year=2012|isbn=978-1-61423-769-3|ref={{sfnRef|Craig}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Creamer|first=Robert W.|author-link=Robert Creamer|title=Stengel: His Life and Times|edition=First Bison Books|year=1996|orig-year=1984|isbn=978-0-8032-6367-3|publisher= [[University of Nebraska Press]]|ref={{sfnRef|Creamer}}}}
*{{cite book|last=Lowry|first=Philip J.|title=Baseball's Longest Games: a Comprehensive Worldwide Record Book|isbn=978-0-7864-4263-8|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|year=2010|ref={{sfnRef|Lowry}}}}
* {{cite book
| last = Macht
| first = Norman
| editor-last = Charlton
| editor-first = James
| contribution = The 26-Inning Duel
| title = Road Trips
| year = 2004
| pages = 104–109
| publisher = [[Society for American Baseball Research]]
| isbn = 978-0-910137-96-6
| ref={{sfnRef|Macht}}
}}
* {{cite book|last=Reidenbaugh|first=Lowell|title=The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 50 Greatest Games|year=1986|isbn=978-0-89204-224-1|publisher= [[The Sporting News]]|ref={{sfnRef|Reidenbaugh}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Stout|first=Glenn|title=The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball|isbn=978-1-6698-5530-9|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=2004|ref={{sfnRef|Stout}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Sugar|first=Bert Randolph|title=Baseball's 50 Greatest Games|edition=revised|year=1994|author-link=Bert Sugar|orig-year=1986|isbn=978-0-914373-32-2|publisher= JG Press|ref={{sfnRef|Sugar}}}}
{{Los Angeles Dodgers}}
{{Atlanta Braves}}
[[Category:1920 Major League Baseball season]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball games]]
[[Category:Boston Braves]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Dodgers]]
[[Category:May 1920 in sports]]
[[Category:1920 in sports in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Baseball competitions in Boston]]