A lot of records were tied or broken in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series. For example, Shohei Ohtani got on base a postseason record nine times, which included two home runs and four times being intentionally walked. However, what stood out the most about the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays game was that it didn't conclude until the 18th inning. Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run to win the game and give Los Angeles a 2-1 series lead. The late-night battle that ended after six hours and 39 minutes ended up tying the World Series record for innings played, but what other Fall Classics went deep into extra innings?
T3. 1916 World Series, Game 2 – Boston Red Sox beat Brooklyn Robins 2-1 (14 innings)
MLB looked a lot different in 1916. Before the Curse of the Bambino, which started after the Boston Red Sox's 1918 championship, the Red Sox were an unstoppable force. They won the World Series in four of their first 11 seasons under the Red Sox moniker. That included in 1916 when they bested the Brooklyn Robins.
Of course, the Red Sox's 86-year championship drought curse was named so because the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920. In the Fall Classic against the Robbins, though, Ruth was dominating for the Red Sox. That was on display in the low-scoring, 14-inning thriller in Game 2.
Ruth, who would go on to become the best MLB player ever, wasn't yet the dominant hitting force fans would come to know. He was a beast on the mound, though. Ruth led baseball in ERA this season (1.75) before going on to pitch 13 shutout innings in Game 2 of the World Series. The only run he gave up was a first-inning inside-the-park home run to Hy Myers.
Ruth himself had an RBI in the third inning, and there wouldn't be another score until Del Gainer's 14th inning walk-off single. It would be nearly a century until another World Series game lasted this long. Boston won the series in five games, and Ruth's two-way prowess foreshadowed Ohtani's brilliance as both a pitcher and batter well over a century later.
T3. 2005 World Series, Game 3 – Chicago White Sox beat Houston Astros 7-5 (14 innings)
The Chicago White Sox ended an 88-year championship drought to win their third World Series title in 2005. They swept the Houston Astros, but the series was far from easy. In fact, it included a 14-inning battle in Game 3 in which the White Sox won 7-5. Despite Frank Thomas' injury, the White Sox were red hot at the end. Dating back to the end of the regular season, the team won 16 of their last 17 games, including an 11-1 postseason record.
Chicago was down 4-0 heading into the top of the fifth, but the White Sox swore by a “win or die trying” mantra. They'd rally off five runs in the fifth inning.
Come the 14th inning, the White Sox were up two runs. Mark Buehrle held off the Astros and earned a save just a game after earning a win. That hadn't been done since 1958. The team's used 17 combined pitchers to throw a total of 482 pitches. Forty-three players were used in total, and 30 base runners were left stranded at some point. Double plays were a big reason why the game went on so long, as there were six total in this game.
T3. 2015 World Series, Game 1 – Kansas City Royals beat New York Mets 5-4 (14 innings)
The 2015 World Series started off with a banger. Game 1 between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals went 14 innings deep. Matt Harvey started on the bump for the Mets. His first pitch resulted in the first World Series inside-the-park home run since 1929. Alcides Escobar was responsible for the feat. The Royals thrived on the base paths, and this was just one example. The Royals would later go on to exploit Lucas Duda's weak arm by breaking off a run for home and forcing a wild throw by the Mets' first baseman.
In Game 1, though, it took more than Escobar's inside-the-parker to get the job done. Alex Gordon hit a ninth-inning home run to tie the game, and the match was then sent to extra innings. New York's Curtis Granderson played fantastically. In addition to hitting an earlier home run, he had a game-saving diving catch in the 11th inning.
However, Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to Granderson that drove in Escobar in the 14th inning, making Escobar both the first and the last run of the game. That had never before been done in the World Series before, and it led to Kansas City gaining enough momentum to win the series in five games.
T1. 2018 World Series, Game 3 – Los Angeles Dodgers beat Boston Red Sox 3-2 (18 innings)
Before their recent 18-inning performance, the Dodgers set the original record for the longest World Series game ever in 2018. The Dodgers lost their series against the Red Sox in five games, but they did everything in their power to ensure they weren't swept. Game 3 ended with a Dodgers' 3-2 win.
The game is most remembered for Max Muncy hitting a would-be walk-off home run in the 15th inning, but the ball narrowly hooked foul. Muncy would go on to actually hit the walk-off homer three innings later. The game is also remembered for Cody Bellinger being caught between bases to end the ninth inning, although Bellinger redeemed himself with a throw from center field the next inning to get Ian Kinsler out at the plate.
All in all, the game lasted seven hours and 20 minutes, making it the longest World Series ever, both in terms of time of play and innings played.
T1. 2025 World Series, Game 3 – Los Angeles Dodgers beat Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 (18 innings)
Like the previous longest World Series ever, this 18-inning masterclass ended in a Dodgers' walk-off home run. It was, of course, Freeman who did the honors this time, although Muncy is still on the roster. Freeman had hit a grand slam walk-off the year prior in the World Series as well.
However, any conversation about the 2025 World Series has to start and end with Shohei Ohtani. The best player in MLB had one of the best baseball games ever in Game 3. Ohtani got on base nine times, which is not only a World Series record, but something that had only been done three previous times in any MLB game. Ohtani had two doubles and two home runs before the Blue Jays realized intentionally walking him to prevent further damage was their best bet. The designated hitter/pitcher got on base on balls five times, four of which were via intentional walks.
Ohtani joined Frank Isbell, who accomplished the feat in 1906, as one of two players with four extra-base hits in a postseason game. Ohtani did it while not even having a chance to put the ball in play for over half of his at-bats. After the 6-5 win, the Dodgers lead the Blue Jays 2-1 in the series.
