Baseball is known as America's pastime and is loved for its leisurely pace and traditions. However, on September 28, 1919, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies showed that baseball can also be played at breakneck speed when they completed a full 9-inning game in just 51 minutes. This remains the shortest Major League Baseball game on record.
On September 28, 1919, the Giants hosted the Phillies for a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds in New York. The last two games of the regular season had been moved up to this date, with the second game meaningless for both teams. The Giants sat comfortably in second place behind the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds, while the Phillies languished in last place.
With no reason to play hard, both teams decided to see if they could break the previous record for the fastest 9-inning game, which was reportedly 56 minutes. The umpires were on board, and the fans realized something unusual was happening when players began sprinting on and off the field in the middle innings.
Giants pitcher Jesse Barnes was brilliant, holding the Phillies hitless for 5 innings and allowing just 2 hits and an unearned run in the complete game effort. He threw only 64 pitches. Meanwhile, the Giants teed off on Phillies starter Lee Meadows, scoring 6 runs on 13 hits in the first 6 innings.
The teams continued their accelerated pace until the Phillies came to bat in the 9th, already trailing 6-1. With two outs and wanting to extend the game, Philadelphia first baseman Fred Luderus legged out an infield hit. However, the next batter Dave Bancroft weakly rolled over to second base for the final out.
When the dust settled, the Giants had beaten the Phillies 6-1 in an astonishing 51 minutes of play. The game flew by at a pace almost unthinkable in modern baseball. For perspective, the average 9-inning game in 1920 took 1 hour and 51 minutes, a full hour longer than this contest.
The 51-minute sprint has never been approached since and likely never will be. With modern commercial breaks and pitcher warm-up routines, it's impossible for two teams to even come close to challenging the record. That day in 1919, the Giants and Phillies showed baseball at its fastest.
Conclusion
On September 28, 1919, the New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 6-1 in an incredible 51 minutes, the shortest 9-inning game in Major League history. Both teams agreed to sprint through the meaningless late-season contest in an attempt to break baseball's speed record. The Giants' Jesse Barnes was dominant on the mound and the offense knocked out the Phillies' starter early. This sprint of a baseball game stands as a remarkable record that has not been threatened in over a century since. Modern baseball simply makes it impossible to approach the 51-minute pace that the 1919 Giants and Phillies maintained.
