Under ideal weather conditions and in front of an overflow crowd, the Boston Red Sox entertained the Philadelphia Athletics in the longest game played to that date. Lasting 24 innings, the game was laced with numerous scoring opportunities squelched by dazzling pitching and spectacular fielding. To make it even more remarkable, both starters went the distance.

Fans continued to pour into the park even after all the seats were filled. As was custom of the era, excess patrons were permitted to stand in the periphery of the outfield, separated from the action by only a rope. Special ground rules were invoked in such cases, and this day was no exception. Any ball being lost among the standing spectators was predetermined to be a triple. Six such hits were scattered throughout the game, and one eventually became instrumental in its outcome.

Two young right-handed pitchers faced one another. Philadelphia's Jack Coombs, with a 5-7 record, was only a few months removed from Colby College in Maine. Boston's Joe Harris lost his first 14 games of the campaign and now possessed a 2-17 log. For this one day, however, both pitched like they were invincible. Coombs fanned 18 batters, a mark that was not exceeded in a single game for 56 years. Colby Jack faced 89 batters and Harris 87, establishing American League records that withstood the test of the century. In effect each hurler pitched through the opposing lineup nearly ten times.

The Athletics opened the scoring in the third inning. With one out, Coombs singled and stole second. He moved to third on an infield out and scored when Harris was late covering on a ground ball to first.

Boston tied it in the sixth as Freddy Parent tripled into the crowd standing in right field and came home on Chick Stahl's single.

For the next 17 innings no other runner crossed the plate despite ample opportunities.

In the eighth each team got a runner to second with two outs, but Bris Lord grounded out for Philadelphia, and Parent struck out for Boston.

Philadelphia's Monte Cross opened the 10th by drawing a base on balls and was sacrificed to second by Jack Knight. But Joe Harris fanned Mike Powers and got Coombs on a pop-up to first.

With two outs in the 11th the Athletics' Ossie Schreckengost pinch-hit for Harry Davis and tripled into the crowd, but Harris retired Socks Seybold on a bouncer back to the box.

Philadelphia repeated their two-out threat in the 12th when Jack Knight also tripled. Harris again was equal to the task, retiring Powers on a fly ball to right.

Boston, too, threatened in the 12th. Stahl singled and was sacrificed by Hobe Ferris. After Coombs struck out Jack Hoey, manager Connie Mack ordered Moose Grimshaw walked. The strategy paid off when Coombs then fanned Red Morgan.

Opportunity knocked again for the Red Sox in the 14th as Parent led off with a double. But Coombs went to work by fanning Stahl and Ferris, and then induced Hoey to ground out.

Both clubs put runners in scoring position in the 15th. For Philadelphia, with one out, Knight tripled in his second consecutive plate appearance. But Powers flied out to shallow center, and Coombs grounded out. Grimshaw led off for Boston in the bottom half of the inning and was safe on Monte Cross' throwing error. After Morgan sacrificed, manager Mack ordered pinch-hitter Buck Freeman intentionally walked. Freeman became incensed at the strategy, and after three straight wide ones, jumped across the plate to swing at the fourth offering. For his impetuousness, Buck was declared out, quashing hopes of a rally and drawing the ire of the Boston press. Coombs then took control by striking out Harris. That marked the third inning in which the youngster had slammed the door on a Boston threat with a strikeout.

Coombs again shined in the 18th. With one out Jack Hayden walked, and Parent singled, sending Hayden to third. Connie Mack then displayed extraordinary confidence in his rookie hurler by ordering Stahl walked, loading the bases. With the infield drawn in to double-play depth, Coombs again responded by fanning both Ferris and Hoey.

The 19th inning again tested Coombs. Grimshaw led off and was safe on an error. Morgan sacrificed, but Lou Criger flied out to center and Harris struck out. For the fifth time Coombs had extinguished the threat with a strikeout.

In the 20th, after two were out, Knight singled for Philadelphia and stole second. Powers, however, fanned.

After the 20th inning, neither team had a batter reach second base until the fateful 24th. In that frame Coombs struck out, and Topsy Hartzel singled and stole second. Lord also struck out, and with two strikes on Schreckengost, the inning once more appeared fruitless for Philadelphia. But the famine was broken when he singled home Hartzel, and both Socks Seybold and Danny Murphy followed with triples. In the bottom of the frame, with darkness quickly closing in, Coombs sealed the Philadelphia victory.

The marathon provided several heroes other than Coombs and Harris. The Boston infield handled 56 chances without an error and made several spectacular plays. Philadelphia backstop Mike Powers was a tower of strength behind the plate, establishing two records. To century's end, no backstop caught more innings in a game without an error or accepted more chances (25) in a major league game. He also threw out five runners attempting to steal, including two in the seventh inning.

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