ON THIS DATE (September 3, 1981) ... If there was any record in Fenway Park history that seemed safe it had to be the one for the longest game. The Red Sox and Yankees played for 18 innings on Sept. 5, 1927, and Boston won 12-11.
Tonight, the longest game played since the park opened in 1912 was resumed in the 20th inning between the Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. The Mariners won it in that 20th inning by an 8-7 score. With Bob Stanley pitching, Dave Henderson singled to left
and scored on Joe Simpson's triple. In the Red Sox 20th, with the bases loaded, Jim Rice forced Dwight Evans at second with the final out ground ball to Jim Anderson at short.
The score was 7-7 when it was suspended in the 19th inning. Time was officially called at 1:16 a.m. due to an American League curfew. Chief umpire Don Denkinger said while the umpires are in control of the final series, the curfew is only waived
if it is the final game.
Both teams had rapped out 21 hits and made two errors. The Mariners used 26 players, including seven pitchers. The Red Sox used 20 players, including six pitchers. Neither Carl Yastrzemski nor Carney Lansford were available because of injury. That
the two teams would wind up playing two days was about the last thing the crowd of 13,355 expected after seven innings. Boston was trailing 7-3 and Mike Parrott was in command for Seattle. But Boston got a run in the eighth inning and rallied for three more in the bottom of the ninth to
send it to extra innings. Joe Rudi hit a two-run single with one out in the ninth to get Boston to within one run. Then rookie Rich Gedman singled home pinch runner Reid Nichols with the game-tying run. And so it went on until the 19th inning with neither team able to break
the deadlock.
