17-Inning Marathon Game Ends with Travs Loss
Published on July 15, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - What started out as a Saturday night game at Dickey-Stephens Park between the Arkansas Travelers and the Tulsa Drillers ended early Sunday morning, five hours and forty-four minutes after the 7:12 pm first pitch, and in the process became the longest game in the history of Dickey-Stephens Park before the Drillers out-lasted the Travs by a final score of 7-2.
A total of 13 pitchers between the Travs and the Drillers were used and combined to throw 527 pitches in the 17-inning marathon.
Starters Ariel Pena and Tyler Chatwood were almost afterthoughts as the game wore on, but the two were sharp when they were on the mound. Each worked at least six innings, but Pena out-lasted Chatwood by working seven complete innings. Chatwood exited the game after six innings with a 2-1 lead thanks to solo homeruns from Tim Torres and Kent Matthes, each off of Pena.
Pena would get off the hook for the loss, however, in the bottom of the seventh inning when the Travs' Brian Hernandez scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
With both starters now out of the game, it would be up to the respective bullpens to determine a winner. Without a doubt, each bullpen was ready for the challenge of holding the opponent off the scoreboard. In fact, each bullpen (a total of nine relievers) would combine for a regular nine-inning shutout as each pen threw zeros in the run column from the eighth inning until the top of the 17th inning.
Another credit to the tremendous pitching out of the bullpens was the fact that both teams were not without their chances at the plate. The Travs and Drillers would combine for 25 hits and reached base 22 more times via a walk or an error. The constant traffic on the base paths did not result in many runs however as both teams combined to leave 31 runners on base.
The Drillers finally broke through in the top of the 17th inning for a three-hit, five-run outburst that effectively ended the game. The Travs would collect their 10th hit of the game in the bottom of frame, but were unable to do anything with it.
Dakota Robinson takes the loss for the Travs as he was the pitcher of record heading into the top of the 17th. Robinson falls to 2-3 on the season. Joe Gardner earns the win after working six innings of relief to close out the game and improves to 4-6 on the season. Gardner, who had made 17 appearances (all starts) was making his first relief appearance this season.
The fourth and final game of the series will be played on Sunday evening with a scheduled first pitch of 6:00 pm.
Texas League Stories from July 15, 2012
- Hynick & Sullivan Combine to Blank Travelers - Tulsa Drillers
- San Antonio Pitching Shuts Down Midland - San Antonio Missions
- Pitching Propels Hooks to Series Win - Frisco RoughRiders
- Cardinals Sweep Naturals, Win 8-6 - Springfield Cardinals
- Hellweg Out-Dueled by Hynick as Travs Are Shutout, 1-0 - Arkansas Travelers
- Cardinals Complete Sweep - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Neftali Feliz to Start on Rehab Assignment for Frisco on Monday - Frisco RoughRiders
- Game Notes, July 15 vs. Frisco - Corpus Christi Hooks
- 17-Inning Marathon Game Ends with Travs Loss - Arkansas Travelers
- Drillers Take 17 Innings, Nearly 6 Hours to Beat Travs - Tulsa Drillers
- Missions Fall For Third Straight Game To The Rockhounds - San Antonio Missions
- 'Riders End Two-Game Slide on Season-High 19 Hits - Frisco RoughRiders
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