This one is right up Mike Lederer’s alley – sort of. The Philadelphia Phillies Class-A team, the Clearwater Threshers, were involved in a 23 inning game.
The Roger Dean Stadium scoreboard had to be reset two times before the Threshers finally fell to the Jupiter Hammerheads, 2-1, in front of 330 spectators.
The Jupiter Hammerheads is the Florida Marlins farm team.
The Hammerheads’ Jose Duarte singled home Jaime Ortiz for the winning run with one out in the bottom on the 23rd. The game lasted 5 hours, 37 minutes. Ortiz had singled off losing pitcher Justin Friend, who entered to start the 23rd.
It was the longest game in each team’s history.
Each team used eight pitchers – the Threshers used two position players – and the two clubs combined for 31 hits.
The two position players, designated hitter Joe Savery and first baseman Darin Ruf, pitched some of the quietest innings. Savery was originally a pitcher when he was a first-round pick in 2007. He was converted to a full-time hitter by Philadelphia prior to this season – he’s hitting .320 on the year.
Savory started the 19th inning, pitching in two innings and allowing only two singles.
Ruf, a true first baseman, allowed a walk and a single in his professional debut on the mound.
The best part – despite playing 32 innings already, the two clubs are only halfway though the four-game set. they will take the field again Tuesday when Jupiter’s Rob Rasmussen takes the mound against Threshers starter Julio Rodriguez.
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