When the 19 inning game finally ended at 1:34 AM local time, the few fans who were left cheered happily as they headed for the exit. When all was said and done, the 3-2 D-Backs win was the longest game both in terms of innings and time in Chase Field history.
Ildemaro Vargas was the hero of the night, tying the game in the bottom of the 9th on a pinch-hit homer, then hitting the game-winning single in the bottom of the 19th, 10 innings later. The 6 hour 53-minute game featured 24 different pitchers.
The Cardinals led 1-0 heading into the 9th inning thanks to a solo homer by Dexter Fowler and 7 stellar innings from Jack Flaherty. Vargas’ solo shot tied it in the 9th and the game went to extras. It looked like the Cardinals would take the game 2-1 when Paul Goldschmidt homered in the 13th, but Arizona came back again in the bottom half and no runs were scored until the winning hit in the 19th.
It was a disappointing loss for the Cardinals who are trying to clinch the division and now remain 2.5 games ahead of the Brewers. St. Louis has 4 games remaining while Milwaukee has 5.
