The Los Angeles Dodgers took down the San Diego Padres, 9-5, on Sunday in an epic 17-inning marathon.
With the score knotted at 5-5 after the eighth inning, the game remained tied until a Yasiel Puig single to center field drove in Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez in the top of the 17th frame. Puig appeared to celebrate the hit as he left the batter's box, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:
The gesturing may have been an expression of relief, as Puig struggled for much of the day leading up to the critical RBI, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times:
Puig proceeded to steal second base, and a wild pitch from Luis Perdomo on the ensuing at-bat allowed Joc Pederson to score from third. Puig later scored thanks to a fielder's choice off the bat of Carl Crawford.
Ross Stripling finished off the game in the bottom of the inning, ending the longest contest in MLB this season, per ESPN Stats & Info:
USA Today's Bob Nightengale shared how much time elapsed between the opening pitch and the final out:
Even Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw got in on the action, though not in his usual role, per Baseball Tonight:
Stripling, who chipped in three innings of work, earned the win, while Perdomo picked up the loss. The two were part of an extensive group of pitchers used in the game, according to CBS Los Angeles:
Kenta Maeda started for the Dodgers, tossing five innings and allowing four runs. Colin Rea went five innings for the Padres, giving up three runs.
Making the victory sweeter is the fact that Los Angeles came back from a 4-0 deficit to eventually force extra innings on the road at Petco Park.
Christian Bethancourt's RBI single and Wil Myers' three-run triple in the fifth inning gave the Padres a four-run lead. The Dodgers got three runs back in the sixth inning before a seventh-inning home run by Justin Turner and an eighth-inning jack by Kendrick put the away team in front.
Melvin Upton Jr. then drilled a triple in the bottom of the eighth frame to score Myers and tie the game for the next eight innings.
After the game, Gonzalez took to Twitter to share his thoughts:
The win bumps the Dodgers to one game below .500 on the season at 22-23, while the Padres' forgetful record drops to 19-26. Both teams play Monday night, with Los Angeles hosting the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium and San Diego traveling to play the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
Postgame Reaction
As it turns out, the Dodgers and Padres are no strangers to playing such lengthy games, per ESPN Stats & Info:
The game was so long that Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis could barely remember who started on the mound for his club, per Plunkett:
McCullough also noted Stripling will be removed from his next scheduled start, and reliever Chin-hui Tsao was not able to contribute in the game due to some discomfort:
Ellis was not the only one who forgot about the day's pitchers. It even slipped Rea's mind that he took the hill as the Padres' starter Sunday
"There were times in the 15th or 16th inning where I didn't realize that I pitched today," Rea said, per Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "It seemed that long ago."
Padres manager Andy Green was upset that the loss ultimately fell to Perdomo, per Kenney:
What I hate more than anything is I hate it for Luis Perdomo. The kid pitched really, really well. Didn’t deserve that fate.
Attacking the strike zone the way he did, I couldn’t be more pleased with him today. Out of everything, I think that’s the toughest part of that one.
Although it was a wild and likely draining game, it is still very early in the regular season. Both teams must quickly recover and focus on playing consistent baseball, as the Dodgers and Padres each have work to do if they hope to make a run at the postseason.
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