Bryce Harper got the day off for the Washington Nationals… until the bottom of the ninth inning.
Trailing 4-3, Nationals manager Dusty Baker (obviously) had Harper pinch-hit, and to the surprise of no one, Harper came through with a game-tying homer (and MLB-leading ninth homer):
Harper was then replaced by Chris Heisey on defense for the top of the 10th inning, leaving the Nats without any more position players on the bench:
Chris Heisey replaces Bryce Harper in the outfield, which means the Nats are entirely out of position players. Pitcher’s spot due up fourth.
— Alex Putterman (@AlexPutterman) April 24, 2016
Fast-forward to the 15th inning, where the Twins take a 5-4 lead on a Miguel Sano single in the top half of the inning, and it’s up to Nationals pitcher Oliver Perez to keep the game alive with two outs in the bottom frame.
WOW. The #Nationals were down to Oliver Perez as their last hope in the 15th, being out of position players. pic.twitter.com/JQVJ3omo2E — I Nevah Said That! (@RNs_Funhouse) April 24, 2016
Yikes, Twins.
So you had to figure that the Nats would find a way to win the game after that, and sure enough Chris Heisey (again, the guy that replaced Harper) finally ended it walk-of homer style in the 16th:
This was the longest regular-season game in Nats history, at five hours, 56 minutes. Nats manager Dusty Baker and his assistants said it was the craziest game they’ve ever seen, which is saying a lot:
Dusty Baker said that he, Davey Lopes and Chris Speier, who have seen a lot of baseball, called this the craziest game they’ve seen
— Dan Kolko (@masnKolko) April 24, 2016
