Elite Sports NY takes you back in time and explores the history that went down on June 24 for the New York Yankees.
When one takes a look back into the epic history of the New York Yankees, that person should expect clutch home runs, stellar postseason performances or even a showcase that stood out from the rest.
How about just a ton of baseball shoved into one day?
On June 24, 1962, the Bombers and Detroit Tigers took part in the longest game in franchise history (exactly seven hours) at Tiger Stadium in front of a crowd of 35,368.
Yankees’ right fielder Jack Reed’s two-run home run off Phil Regan in the 22nd inning ended up deciding the contest, but not after a ton of at-bats, pitches and whatever else could be shoved into seven hours of a baseball game.
Both teams combined for 191 plate appearances, 39 hits and absolutely no runs scored from the seventh inning until Reed’s home run. New York’s reliever Jim Bouton came in clutch in relief, as he allowed just three hits seven scoreless innings to earn the win.
To this day, only 38 Yankee relievers have thrown seven or more innings in a game. The latest was Ted Lilly in a 5-1 win against the Texas Rangers on September 26, 2001.
I'm sorry the Tigers lost, but what a game! Today in 1962, the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers after 22 innings. pic.twitter.com/51zpQZxkBQ
— Daniel Bennett (@DanielBennettNY) June 24, 2016