News
Padres run out of gas against D-backs
San Diego drops MLB's longest game of '09 in 18 innings
By Amy Brittain / MLB.com
06/08/09 12:10 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- David Eckstein's ninth-inning heroics weren't enough to save the Padres from a disappointing loss Sunday to the Arizona Diamondbacks at PETCO Park. In fact, the moment was practically a distant memory by the time all 18 innings had been played in Sunday's nailbiter, which lasted five hours and 45 minutes as the longest Major League contest this season. But Eckstein's two-out, three-run homer to tie the game at 6 was enough to grant the Padres nine additional innings in their loss, 9-6, to the D-backs. The Padres entered the ninth trailing, 6-1, after an impressive day on the mound for Arizona righty Dan Haren, who pitched six scoreless innings before giving up just one solo shot to Kevin Kouzmanoff in the seventh inning. The Padres' bats finally made some noise in the ninth inning, when first baseman Adrian Gonzalez led off with a double off D-backs reliever Juan Gutierrez. Gonzalez scored on a Chase Headley single, and Nick Hundley singled off D-backs reliever Chad Qualls to score Headley. The D-backs were just an out away from sealing the victory when Eckstein, pinch-hitting for pitcher Luis Perdomo, homered on the first pitch off Qualls to keep the Padres alive. "Nothing Eck does surprises me anymore," said Padres manager Buddy Black. "He's a guy who always rises to occasion." And so, the epic afternoon at PETCO Park got underway.Going Deep ... Into the Night | ||||
Date | Opponent | Innings | Padres' result | |
| 4/17/08 | vs. COL | 22 | Lost, 2-1 | |
| 5/21/77 | at MON | 21 | Won, 11-8 | |
| 9/24/71* | vs. HOU | 21 | Lost, 2-1 | |
| 8/15/80 | vs. HOU | 20 | Lost, 3-1 | |
| 8/25/79 | vs. PIT | 19 | Lost, 4-3 | |
| * Game 1 of a doubleheader | ||||
Ultimately, it was Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds who ended the near-six hour affair in the 18th inning with a three-run homer off Padres infielder Josh Wilson to score Felipe Lopez and Ryan Roberts.
Wilson, a backup shortstop, took the mound after all relievers and Chad Gaudin, who started in Friday's loss, made appearances. In total, 10 pitchers threw for the Padres on Sunday. Wilson, whom the Padres acquired off waivers from the D-backs on May 15, pitched in high school and threw one inning on May 11 for the D-backs against the Reds. "I knew it was probably a matter of time [before I pitched] if the game kept going on," Wilson said. "All of the bullpen guys were used up, and Chad was out there as a starter, getting some extra innings in. "These guys had seen me pitch before, and I think they had all of the confidence in the world for me to go out there and get three outs. I fully expected to do the same."Amy Brittain is an associate reporter with MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
