<P> Another 18 - inning contest was played between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros on October 9, 2005 . In the 4th game of a National League Division Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston, the Braves (who were trailing the series two games to one and facing elimination) took a 6--1 lead into the 8th inning . A grand slam by Lance Berkman in the bottom of the 8th brought the score to 6--5, and with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Brad Ausmus homered to tie the game and send it to extra innings . The score remained deadlocked at 6--6 until the 18th, when the Astros' Chris Burke (who entered the game in the 9th inning as a pinch runner) homered to left field to win the game and send Houston to the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals . Roger Clemens, who was brought in to pinch - hit in the 15th and pitched the last three innings in relief, was credited as the winning pitcher in the 5 - hour, 50 - minute contest . In a somewhat odd coincidence, Adam LaRoche and Tim Hudson played in both 18 - inning games . This one as Atlanta Braves and the other one as opposing sides of one another with Hudson pitching in both games as the visiting team's starting pitcher . It is the longest winner in a potential clinching game in baseball history . </P> <P> Exactly two weeks later on October 23, 2005, the same Houston Astros team lost to the Chicago White Sox in the longest World Series game by time, Game 3 of the 2005 Series, played at Minute Maid Park, which lasted 5 hours 41 minutes, breaking the previous record of 4 hours 51 minutes in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series . It also shared the record for the longest World Series game by innings at 14, tied with Game 2 of the 1916 World Series, played on October 9, 1916 between the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Red Sox at Braves Field, and Game 1 of the 2015 World Series, played on October 27, 2015 between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium . </P> <P> The 1986 National League Championship Series, which also involved the Astros, was notable for its two climactic extra-inning games . After the Astros and the New York Mets split the first four games of the series, the Mets won Game 5 in 12 innings and Game 6 in 16 innings to claim the pennant . </P> <P> The 1986 American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the then named California Angels featured a dramatic game where The Angels were leading 3 games to 1 and leading 5--4 in game 5, one strike away from the first ever pennant in franchise history, only for Red Sox's Dave Henderson hit a two - run homer off Angel closer Donnie Moore in the top of the ninth inning to give the Red Sox the lead . The Angels tied it in the bottom half but in the top of the 11th, Henderson's sac fly off Moore proved to be the winning margin and the Angels lost the game . The series returned to Boston and the Angels were outscored a combined 18--5 in games 6 and 7 to lose the pennant . </P>

What's the longest major league baseball game in history