Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2004

Department 1

Mathematics

Abstract

This article looks at marathon games of baseball. For purposes of this article, a marathon is defined as a game lasting 20 or more innings. In my research I have discovered 341 marathons. These games are hard to find. Leagues either keep no records, or keep track only of their longest game; only the Texas League keeps records on all marathons. Nobody has ever before explored such questions as: What is the probability a game will go x number of innings? How often should we expect a marathon of 20 or more innings, or 40 or more innings? What is the probability the 26-inning major league record will be broken this year? Which is “rarer,” the 26-inning major league record, 33-inning minor league record, or 45-inning “other” category record? In this article we’ll answer these questions.

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