5

But I don't think they had planned to be wired together for this long. No one did. 

They finally suspended play of this game after 20 innings at 12:13 CDT because of a Southern League rule that states a new inning may not start after 11:50 pm. By that time, the Stars had tied a record for the longest game in innings and Greenville had set one. It would be picked up the next evening -- August 7 -- a 5 pm before the start of that night's regularly scheduled game.

Since this was on the road, I don't have a load of details to conveniently recall. The Stars took an early 3-0 lead after Jose Ortiz hit a 2-run HR in the 2nd inning, but Greenville answered with two in its half of the 4th to cut into the Stars lead. Then Greenville tied the game in the 7th, 3-3.

The Stars took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 12th, but the G'Braves came right back in the bottom of the inning to tie it at 5-5 when Adam Johnson hit a two-out, 2-run double off Kevin Gunther. And on it went. In the top of the 20th, it looked Danny Ardoin had put the argument to rest when he connected with a 2-run HR off Nelson Cruz, but Jake O'Dell gave up an RBI single to Mike Eaglin, and then walked George Lombard with the bases full and unbelievably prolonged this battle. At that point, it was time to wrap this game up, put it in the freezer and see if these two teams were willing to cook the next day.

Jeff D'Amico and Micah Bowie were the new pitchers. Strangely, there was a good crowd where you would normally not see one in the 21st inning, but they were awaiting the regularly scheduled game. The radio audience was curious to see how and when it would end. The press box went to the record book. The Southern League record for the longest game was April 14, 1973 when Columbus beat Savannah, 10-4, in 23 innings.

Ryan Jacobs, who would become a pitcher for the Stars two years later, recorded a 1-2-3 23rd, which would ultimately get him the victory. Club officials would have liked it to go to 24, to at least make it their while to get into the record books, but such was not to be the case.

George Lombard opened the 23rd inning for Greenville with a double to left that just missed going out by a few feet. After a sacrifice attempt failed, Mark DeRosa walked and Adam Johnson came to the plate. Johnson was 5-for-9 and had tied the game in the 12th. With one out, Johnson cranked one out off Jeff D'Amico, the 7th pitcher for the Stars --- the 14th pitcher used in the game. A six-hour, 26 minute marathon no one would ever forget. At least if you were in Greenville or listening on the radio.

A 20-inning game at Tim McCarver Stadium, won by the Stars on June 17-18, 1991 was longer in time by six minutes, but the club record was set actually in an 18-inning game at Birmingham, won by the Stars, 5-4, on June 2, 1989. It lasted 6 hours and 37 minutes and probably should have earned a spot on this Top 30 list.

It wasn't the way the Stars wanted to go into the record books.

77   7   13   7          

83  10  21   9