San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
In 23 innings, Giants complete sweep
Juan Marichal went the distance as the Giants beat the Mets 53 in the opener of a doubleheader in front of 57,037 fans at Shea Stadium on May 31, 1964. What really went the distance was the second game.
It lasted 23 innings — 7 hours and 23 minutes — before San Francisco pulled out an 86 decision. The Giants led 61 in the sixth, but the Mets got two in that inning and then tied it on Joe Christopher’s threerun homer off Bobby Bolin in the seventh.
Among the oddities as the game kept going and going and going some more: Willie Mays, one of the greatest center fielders in history, played shortstop from the 10th inning through the 12th (he did not have a ball hit to him at short). The Giants had two men on with no outs in the 14th, but Orlando Cepeda lined into a triple play. Additionally, another future Hall of Famer, Gaylord Perry, would throw 10 innings of shutout relief to earn one of his 314 career wins.
In his autobiography, “Me and the Spitter,” Perry wrote that the fans “saw Gaylord Perry throw a spitter under pressure for the first, but hardly the last, time in his career.”
Del Crandall pinchhit for Perry with two on and two outs in the 23rd. Crandall’s double brought home Jim Davenport, who had tripled. Jesus Alou added an RBI infield single to give the Giants that 86 margin.
Bob Hendley worked a 3up, 3down bottom of the 23rd and the Giants had completed a sweep of the doubleheader, which took a mere 9 hours, 52 minutes of game time.