#ThisDayThatYear: Astros make history in longest postseason battle in 2005
On October 9, 2005, the Houston Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in the longest postseason game (in both time and innings played) in MLB history. Chris Burke's walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning ended the marathon, clinching the National League Division Series (NLDS) for the Astros. The game spanned 5 hours and 50 minutes. We decode the historic game.
Game recap and heroes of the game
In a classic game, Roger Clemens pitched three scoreless relief innings for the Astros. Trailing 6-1, Houston rallied with Lance Berkman's grand slam in the 8th, forcing extra innings. Chris Burke became the hero, hitting the game-winning homer off Joey Devine to advance the Astros to the NLCS. Tim Hudson, who started the 2014 18-inning playoff game, also took the mound for the Braves.
2005 season highlights of Houston and Atlanta
The Astros reached the postseason for the second straight year, overcoming a slow 15-30 start to win the wild card (89-73) and advance to their first World Series, where they were swept by the White Sox. Meanwhile, The Braves secured their 11th straight division title (90-72), finishing 2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies, but lost the NLDS to the Astros, 3-1.
Roger Clemens' 2005 season and career stats
During the 2005 season, Clemens boasted a 13-8 win-loss record, with a 1.87 ERA from 211.1 innings pitched. He also managed 185 strikeouts and a 1.01 WHIP in the 32 games he started. In the postseason Clemens recorded a 5.63 ERA and a 2-1 win-loss record. Overall, Clemens has played 709 games, with a 354-184 win-loss record and a 3.12 ERA over four seasons.
