Cabrera
Asdrubal Cabrera #3 of the Washington Nationals hits a two run home run in the 14th inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals did not want to go home on Wednesday. The two teams played a combined 51 different players over 14 innings before the Nationals finally won it 8-5. Every time a team scored to take the lead, the other team would counter in their half of the inning. The see-saw battle went back and forth until the Nationals broke it open with three runs in the top of the 14th after Asdrubal Cabrera’s two-run home run.

Injured First baseman Adam LaRoche was the hero for the Nationals on a day he wasn’t even in the starting lineup! LaRoche came up as pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning, with Nationals manger Matt Williams looking for one thing: a game tying two-run home run. That’s exactly what LaRoche did as he saved the day for the Nationals, and then brought home the go-ahead run in the 14th inning with a single up the middle. LaRoche epitomized the word “clutch” on Wednesday as every RBI was either to win or tie the game.

The game was a wild one as it lasted a record 5 hours and 34 minutes, the longest game at Dodger Stadium this year. Forgotten in the game is Dodgers rookie pitcher, Carlos Frias, who was called up from the minors on Tuesday and pitched 6 innings of shutout ball in his first major league start. Frias finished the game with just three hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

The Dodgers rallied in the game on two separate occasions once in the bottom of the ninth inning, when an error in right field by Jayson Werth allowed Andre Ethier to score and tie the game at 3 apiece, and then again in the bottom of the 12th when the Dodgers, trailing 5-3 were down to their last out. They got a single by Juan Uribe and then a two-run homerun to opposite field by left fielder, Carl Crawford. Crawford finished the marathon game, 3-7 with a single, double and a home run; just a triple shy of the cycle.

Crawford and Uribe
Carl Crawford #3 and Juan Uribe #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after they both score on Crawford's two run home run to tie the game in the 12th inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on September 3, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Los Dodgers will probably go home tonight kicking themselves as they had numerous opportunities to win the game, not only in the top of the ninth, but back to back bases loaded moments in the bottom of the 10th and the 11th. It was the first time the Dodgers had back to back innings with bases loaded and did not score a single run in over 30 years.

Both teams have a day off on Thursday before the Nationals fly home to take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. The Dodgers will thankfully get a day of rest after this marathon game to relax before taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on Friday.

Check out the video link here to see all 13 wild runs scored of the game in this potential playoff matchup between two first place teams.

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