Longest Games in World Series History

Game 3 of the 2025 World Series was an instant classic. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in 18 innings to take a 2-1 lead. Shohei Ohtani made history by getting on base nine times in the win, making him the odds-on favorite to be named the World Series MVP per the baseball futures odds. It was tied for the longest game in World Series history, and it is one of five World Series games to last at least 14 innings.

Game 3, 2018 World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers 3, Boston Red Sox 2 (18 innings)

The Boston Red Sox would have swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 World Series if they won this game. Boston ended up winning the World Series 4-1 and scored 26 runs in its four wins, but the top of the Red Sox lineup couldn’t get anything going in Game 3. Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts combined to go 0-15 at the dish, and no player in the top four in the batting order registered a hit. Stars J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers also went hitless for Boston in this game.

A pair of errors led to both teams plating a run in the 13th inning, and there wasn’t another score until the bottom of the 18th inning. That’s when Max Muncy made himself the hero of the moment with a walk-off solo shot off of Nathan Eovaldi. It was a brutal loss for Eovaldi as he pitched an inning of hitless baseball in Game 1 and Game 2, and he was in his seventh inning of relief when he allowed a home run off a full count to the first batter he faced in the final frame.

Game 3, 2025 World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5 (18 innings)

Shohei Ohtani didn’t score the winning run in Game 3, but he was the talk of the baseball world afterwards. Ohtani went 4 for 4 at the plate with two home runs, and he drew five walks. It was one of the best performances we’ve ever seen in the World Series, and for an encore he started Game 4 for the Dodgers. If you’re following every pitch of the Fall Classic or looking to jump in with live props and adjusted odds, the MLB World Series lines at BetOnline are updated in real time.

The bullpens were incredible in this game. Max Scherzer and Tyler Glasnow were both pulled in the 5th inning, and the game was tied 4-4 after five innings. Toronto and LA both scored in the 7th inning to keep the game all square, but there were then 10 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball before Freddie Freeman walked it off just before midnight on the West Coast. The Blue Jays used 9 pitchers, and the Dodgers used 10 pitchers with Will Klein getting the win after allowing just three baserunners while striking out five batters.

Game 1, 2015 World Series – Kansas City Royals 5, New York Mets 4 (14 innings)

There was plenty of history in the opening game of the 2015 World Series. Matt Harvey started the game for the Mets, and his very first pitch resulted in the first inside the park home run in the World Series since 1929. The Mets rallied and took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning, but then Alex Gordon crushed a solo home run off closer Jeurys Familia to put the home crowd into a state of euphoria.

Kansas City had three relievers that allowed just three baserunners while striking out nine batters over five innings in extras. Meanwhile, Bartolo Colon got himself into some trouble and eventually gave up the winning run on a sacrifice fly. The Royals would go on to win the World Series 4-1 with the clinching Game 5 lasting for 12 innings before Kansas City broke it wide open with five runs in the top half of the final frame. 

Game 3, 2005 World Series – Chicago White Sox 7, Houston Astros 5 (14 innings)

The 2005 Chicago White Sox were one of the most improbable World Series winners in recent memory. The Southsiders had odds north of 20-1 to win the World Series at the start of the season, yet they swept the Houston Astros to break one of the longest title droughts in American sports. Chicago had not won a World Series title since 1917 before Ozzie Guillen etched his name into Windy City lore.

Houston felt confident midway through Game 3. Roy Oswalt had not allowed a run through four innings, and the Astros were up 4-0. However, the White Sox roared back in the 5th inning. They scored five runs in that frame to take the lead, but their bullpen was unable to close the door. There were several runners left on base in extra innings before journeyman Geoff Blum hit a two-run home run with two outs to put the White Sox ahead 7-5. Chicago left Damaso Marte on the mound to try to secure the win, but Guillen was forced to call upon Game 2 starter Mark Buehrle to secure the final out and earn the save.

Game 2, 1916 World Series – Boston Red Sox 2, Brooklyn Robins 1 (14 innings)

The legendary Babe Ruth was the star of this game. Ruth allowed just six hits and one run over 14 innings against the modern-day Los Angeles Dodgers. He surrendered a home run to Hi Myers in the first inning before pitching 13 straight shutout innings, and he drove in Boston’s first run in the bottom of the third inning to boot. Pinch hitter Del Gainer drove in the winning run off Sherry Smith, who unfortunately was saddled with the loss despite allowing just two runs over 13.1 innings of work.

This was the longest World Series game for 89 years, but it took less than half the time of Game 3 of the 2005 World Series. Teams were quickly moving on and off the field in the era before television, so this 14-inning classic took just 2 hours and 32 minutes to complete. Boston went on to win the World Series in five games, and the final game finished in a scant 1 hour and 43 minutes.