LOS ANGELES — Brian Dozier swung bananas from a rope over the dugout railing.
How appropriate. The longest game in World Series history was bananas.
Twenty-three players on each team, including nine pitchers.
Eighteen innings — four more than any of the previous 662 World Series games.
Seven hours, 20 minutes — 1:39 longer than any Series game played before.
Walker Buehler threw the first pitch in autumn twilight at 5:10 p.m.
Max Muncy homered on the 561st and last at 12:30 a.m., when most of America was asleep and even fans in Alaska and in Hawaii were struggling to stay up.
Ernie Banks would have been happy — the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox filled his oft-said desire: Let’s play two! “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was played twice, during the seventh-inning stretch and the 14th inning elongation.
“It was an amazing game,” Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig said. “I’m a little tired. But we’re ready to come back tomorrow.”
Then he looked at his watch and corrected himself.
“In a couple of hours,” Puig said.
Live from Hollywood: the Late Late Late Show: The Dodgers’ dramatic, draining, dizzying 3-2 victory Friday night cut their World Series deficit to 2-1.