High School Baseball Game In Japan Takes 50 Innings, Four Days

A baseball game in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan that started Thursday took 50 innings and four days to determine a winner, which is amazing in its own way, but wait until you see the two starters' pitch counts.

Chukyo finally defeated Sotoku 3-0 in the 50th Sunday morning, but look at those pitching lines. Both starting pitchers played the entire game. Taiga Matsui hurled 709 pitches for Chukyo, and Sotoku's Jukiya Ishioka threw 689 pitches. Even over the course of four days, holy shit.

This marathon took place during a rubber-ball tournament, which uses a slightly different baseball that doesn't travel off the bat as far when hit. As you might figure with a game that long, there wasn't much offense. Chukyo notched 22 hits in 50 innings; Sotoku had 26.

If the game had surpassed 54 innings, the winner would have been decided by a lottery, which would have sucked for the team that played 54 innings of baseball and didn't get picked.

Chukyo reportedly won the tournament after beating Miura Gakuen 2-0 in the final. Matsui made a relief appearance and threw 77 more pitches, bringing his total to 786 in two games.

[ Nikkan Sports | yakyubaka]

H/t to Allen