The longest professional baseball game ever played went 33 innings.

Quick Scoop

  • The record belongs to a 1981 Triple-A game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings that lasted 33 innings and 8 hours 25 minutes of playing time.
  • In Major League Baseball specifically, the longest game by innings is 26 innings, a 1–1 tie between the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) and Boston Braves on May 1, 1920.

A bit of context

  • The 33-inning Pawtucket–Rochester marathon was played over two dates: 32 innings overnight from April 18–19, 1981, and the 33rd inning finished on June 23, 1981.
  • The MLB 26-inning game in 1920 even ended as a tie because it was called due to darkness, showing how different ballpark lighting and rules were back then.

Fans like to joke that after games like these, you don’t just watch baseball — you survive it.

TL;DR:

  • Longest professional game ever: 33 innings (Pawtucket vs. Rochester, 1981).
  • Longest MLB game by innings: 26 innings (Brooklyn vs. Boston, 1920).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.