"I guess I'll be like the fellow who gave up that homer to Bobby Thomson,'' quipped Speck, referring to Ralph Branca, who served up the home that won the 1951 National League pennant for the New York Giants.
Winning pitcher Bobby Ojeda hugged Barrett at home plate as Peggy Lee’s song “Is That All There Is?” wailed over the PA.
Grilli sat in the visitor’s dugout and cried, distraught at losing such an historical game.
“We were hoping to go seven or eight more innings and REALLY set a record that stood the test of time,’’ he told MLN. “After the game, someone from the Hall of Fame asked me for my hat and it was on display in Cooperstown for the longest time. That’s something.’’
A Stat Freak’s Dream
The whole game took eight hours, 25 minutes to complete. The 33-inning game broke the previous mark of 29 set in 1966 by Miami and St. Petersburg of the Florida State
Rochester reliever Jim Umbarger pitched 10 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and no walks while striking out nine.
Huppert caught the game's first 31 innings and went 1-for-11.
Ripken was 2-for-13 and, no surprise, played every inning.
Boggs was an impressive 4-for-12.
The teams went through 160 baseballs. The 14 pitchers threw more than 1,000 pitches and held batters to 39 hits in 219 at-bats, a dismal .178 average.
In all, forty-one players participated. Twenty-five of them went on to play in the majors.
"It's still the most bizarre and remarkable game I've ever been involved in,'' says Ripken. "Thirty-three innings in one game. Now there's a record I don't think will ever be broken.''
Grilli is counting the days until this June 23, when Pawtucket will hold a 25th reunion of the historical game.
“We’re all hoping Boggs and Ripken will be there,’’ he says.
Huppert was able to find a positive out of the tough loss.
"Everyone associated with that game is in Cooperstown,'' he said, "and that's the destination of everyone who ever plays this game.''
