MLB: Analyzing the ‘what ifs’ of 2019’s longest baseball game

In the longest MLB game this season, the San Francisco Giants walked off against the Colorado Rockies in 18 innings 3-2. With continued talk about possible rule changes, what if the scenarios were different once the tenth inning began?

There has been growing talks about the possible changes to be introduced to improve the pace of play of a MLB game in general, as well as in extra innings.

Friday night, 2019 experienced baseball’s longest game; an 18-inning… well it wasn’t a slug fest, but the Giants defeated the Rockies 3-2.

This game pushed Colorado’s losing streak to seven-straight games, and had everyone asking are the offenses really that bad, or is the pitching just so dominant?

It also had a baseball purist like me asking a question I don’t think I ever would have asked: what if there was a runner on second base to start the tenth?

Let’s explore that possibility.

But first, how did we even get to extra innings?

The Giants broadcasters had implied that the reason the game was tied at two to begin with was because of a fourth-inning balk by starter Drew Pomeranz:

The Rockies went on to score both of their runs this inning. After the balk, Trevor Story would single, and Ian Desmond followed with a double to drive him in.

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The Giants got one back in the bottom half and then another in the sixth.

Now that the first nine are done, let’s explore the possibility of ‘what if a runner was on second?’.

By the rule, the runner who would take second base would be the player who made the final out in the previous inning. In the top of the tenth, that would be Pat Valaika for the Rockies.

Would he have made it home?

Charlie Blackmon struck out. Garrett Hampson walked. Nolan Arenado singled. Would Valaika had made it home?

The ball was hit to left field where Gerardo Parra was positioned and ready to cut down any runner. The Rockies, who are certainly familiar with Parra’s arm strength, and with Valaika not being the fastest, likely would have opted to hold Valaika at third.

In the actual scenario, Hampson, who is the fastest on their team, didn’t even advance past second on the hit. The ball was likely not hit deep and the Rockies were less than likely to test Parra’s arm. So to be safe, the bases are now loaded.

Trevor Story grounded into a double play. Inning over.

The Giants went three up, three down. No one would have scored.

The top of the 11th would have put Story on second base; also a fast runner.

Ian Desmond singled sharply to center. Would Story have scored? Even if he had stopped on third, Raimel Tapia hit a single to the left side and that certainly would have brought home Story from third. Now it’s 3-2 Rockies.

After three straight outs, the inning ends. In the bottom half, the Giants, once again, went three up three down. In this scenario, the game is over, and the Rockies win in 11 innings.

Do you prefer that scenario? Or the 18-inning pitch-a-thon that featured such highlights as this?:

The baseball purist in me is mad that I even wrote this article but hopefully, you enjoyed the ‘what ifs’ as much as I did.