What Are The Latest-Finishing Playoff Games?
Image credit: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: Jorge Polanco #7 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates after hitting the game-winning RBI single during the fifteenth inning against the Detroit Tigers to win game five of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The deciding 15-inning Game 5 of the Mariners-Tigers American League Division Series was a five-hour exercise in beautifully exhausting tension.
In a game with 115 plate appearances, there was never one where a batter for the trailing team stepped to the plate without a chance to at least tie the game.
The Mariners stepped to the plate in the bottom of seven innings with a chance to walk off to the American League Championship Series, and they finally did so in the 15th inning when Jorge Polanco singled to right to drive in J.P. Crawford.
The game was also an exercise in exhaustion for many East Coast baseball fans as it finished much later than a normal game, which is to be expected for 15 innings. The game ended at 1:07 a.m. But considering this was a 15-inning nail-biter, the game was a remarkable example of just how much quicker baseball, even the longest games, are being played these days.
While this game went past 1 a.m. ET, it is the 14th-latest finish in the postseason since 2015. So while some may be bleary eyed this morning, last night wasn’t the battle against sleep that the 2017 NLDS game between the D-backs and Dodgers. Thanks to a brutal (for the East Coast) 10:30 p.m. start time, that game didn’t finish until 2:08 a.m. ET despite being a not particularly long (for 2017) gametime of 3:37.
Here’s a look at the latest finish times in the postseason since 2015. Any East Coasters who made it to the end of the wondrous 18-inning 2018 World Series game between the Dodgers and Red Sox deserves a commendation of some sort.
| Season | GAme TYPE | Score | End TIME | Game LENGTH | MINUTES PER BATTER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | W. Card | Rockies 2, Cubs 1 (13) | 1:04 a.m. | 4:55 | 2.89 |
| 2025 | ALDS | Mariners 3, Tigers 2 (15) | 1:07 a.m. | 4:58 | 2.59 |
| 2020 | NLDS | Dodgers 12, Padres 3 | 1:12 a.m. | 4:04 | 2.74 |
| 2018 | ALCS | Red Sox 8, Astros 6 | 1:13 a.m. | 4:33 | 2.97 |
| 2019 | NLDS | Nationals 4, Dodgers 2 | 1:14 a.m. | 3:37 | 2.89 |
| 2015 | WS | Royals 5, Mets 4 (14) | 1:18 a.m. | 5:09 | 2.69 |
| 2016 | WS | Cubs 9, Guardians 3 | 1:19 a.m. | 5:09 | 3.86 |
| 2020 | NLDS | Dodgers 5, Padres 1 | 1:32 a.m. | 3:54 | 3.00 |
| 2017 | WS | Astros 13, Dodgers 12 (10) | 1:38 a.m. | 5:17 | 3.23 |
| 2017 | NLDS | Dodgers 3, D-backs 1 | 1:44 a.m. | 3:36 | 3.09 |
| 2022 | NLDS | Padres 5, Dodgers 3 | 1:54 a.m. | 3:46 | 2.90 |
| 2017 | NLDS | Dodgers 9, D-backs 5 | 2:08 a.m. | 3:37 | 2.78 |
| 2018 | NLCS | Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 (13) | 2:25 a.m. | 5:15 | 3.12 |
| 2016 | NLDS | Giants 6, Cubs 5 (13) | 2:43 a.m. | 5:04 | 2.87 |
| 2018 | WS | Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2 (18) | 3:30 a.m. | 7:20 | 3.36 |
