In the top of the 21st, Red Wings catcher Dave Huppert doubled home a run to give Rochester a 2-1 lead. Then in the bottom of the inning, future Hall-of-Famer Wade Boggs doubled in Koza to even the score again.
"God, will it ever end?'' Rochester third baseman Cal Ripken Jr. recalls thinking at the time.
Midnight struck, and Easter Sunday, April 19, 1981 was ushered not by the famed bunny, but by a grueling baseball game in Pawtucket.
It should have been suspended at 1 a.m., but the umpires’ rulebook was missing the International League’s revision about curfews.
The PawSox started giving away free concessions at 2 a.m. to the crowd that had dwindled to a handful.
While Mondor was handing out the snacks, hurler Aponte was given permission to go home. His troubles, sadly, were just beginning.
"Where have you been?'' his wife, Xiomara, asked angrily.
"At the ballpark,'' he replied.
"Like hell you have,'' she snapped. "You're lying.''
Aponte spent the rest of the night on the couch.
Pawtucket general manager Mike Tamburro tracked down Interational League President Harold Cooper by phone in the early hours of Easter morning to get an official ruling on what to do.
Cooper called the game at 4:07 am and directed that it be rescheduled to resume during the Red Wings next visit to Rhode Island in June. The game was tied at 2-2 in the 32nd inning.
Owner Ben Mondor gave lifetime passes to the 19 fans remaining when the game was suspended.
