Angels subdue Red Sox in 19-inning marathon
You may have missed one of the strangest walk-offs of the major-league season Saturday night. It isn't your fault, though; it happened at around 12:40 a.m. Pacific time.
Albert Pujols put a merciful end to the longest game in the majors this season, swatting this contested home run to lift the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox:
As Pujols trotted around the bases before inexplicably sliding into home and tearing through the infield, Red Sox manager John Farrell came out to protest. His pleas were for naught, however, as umpires confirmed the original call - officially ending a 6-hour, 31-minute classic in which the teams combined to throw a staggering 558 pitches.
The game looked to be over in the 14th inning after David Ortiz lofted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Dustin Pedroia. But the Angels responded by loading the bases against Junichi Tazawa and drawing even on Mike Trout's fielder's choice to short.
The walk-off was the 11th of Pujols' career, and his first since June 5, 2011.