Angels Lose to Texas in 17 Innings, AL’s Longest Game This Year

Ruben Sierra hit a two-out RBI double in the 17th inning Saturday night, and the Texas Rangers beat the Angels, 3-2, in the longest American League game this season.

Mitch Cook, making his first major league appearance of the season, hit Fletcher with two outs. Cook threw a wild pitch, and Vance Lovelace, making his first big league appearance, relieved.

Lovelace walked Pete O’Brien, and Rich Monteleone, making his first major league appearance this season, came in as the seventh Angel pitcher.

Sierra then hit a 1-0 pitch to the base of the right-field wall, ending the game after 5 hours 30 minutes, a Texas record.

Ed Vande Berg (2-2) pitched 1 innings of 1-hit relief for Texas. Jim Sundberg tied the score, 2-2, when he homered in the ninth off Doug Corbett, It was Sundberg’s fourth homer of the season.

Dante Bichetette hit a two-run single in the seventh inning for his first major league run batted in to give the Angels a 2-1 lead.

The Rangers’ other run came on a sacrifice fly by Sierra in the sixth.

Angel Manager Cookie Rojas was ejected by plate umpire Rocky Roe in the 15th while talking to Stewart Cliburn, his fourth pitcher of the game.