1986 Baltimore Orioles Set Record for Longest Game in MLB History

In 1986, the Baltimore Orioles set a nine-game time record in a monster win against the New York Yankees.

By the time the June 8, 1986 games was over, the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees were on the field for four hours and 19 minutes. The Orioles defeated the Yanks by a blow out of 18-9.

The record no longer stands, but at the time, that nine-game inning included some eye-popping stats. The current record for the longest nine-inning game in the AL was set in 2006 when the Yankees and Red Sox faced off for four hours and 45 minutes on August 18. The Yankees won 14-11.

At the time in 1986, the Yankees had a record of 32-23, and the Orioles were a game up at 33-20. Two Orioles dominated at the plate. Right fielder Lee Lacy went 4-6 with three home runs in the 1st, 4th, and 6th. He earned six RBI and had 13 bases on the day. The DH, Larry Sheets, went 3-5 with a home run and four RBI.

By the end of the game, seven Orioles had at least two hits in the nine-inning game. Cal Ripken Jr. went 2-5. Tom O’Malley and John Shelby each recorded three hits.

The Yankees also has several hitters with multiple hits, but that’s enough of that.

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By the time the game was over, nine pitchers took the mound. The Yankees starter for the day Ed Whitson was yanked after seeing seven batters and giving up three runs, including Lacy’s first dinger of the day.

The Orioles scored in every inning except the 2nd and 5th. And when the 7th rolled around, the Birds scored seven runs off of three Yankees pitchers. By the end of the game, the Orioles had 22 hits! Not to be overlooked in the 4:19 game, the Yankees had 14 hits and the Orioles used four pitchers.

Interestingly, in the 22-hit rout, two Orioles starters did not record hits. Juan Bonilla began the game at second. He had a walk and two at-bats. The starting catcher, Floyd Rayford went hitless in three at-bats. Both were replaced with pinch hitters who each scored two runs.

The game was played at Yankee Stadium to a crowd over 50,000. Fans certainly got their money’s worth that day as the teams combined for five home runs, six doubles, and one triple. Rickey Henderson stole a base (despite him being a Yankee, his stolen bases were always a sight to see), and two Orioles – Shelby and Ripken – were caught stealing. There really was something for everyone that day.