Highest Scoring MLB Game in History – Who Had Most Runs Scored in an MLB Game?
5 minutes
Last Updated: June 24, 2022
MLB (Major League Baseball) has come a long way since its inaugural season, which took place in 1901. The MLB inaugural season lasted from the 18th of April until the 9th of October.
The Chicago White Stockings came out on top in the league standings, followed by the Boston Americans, Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, and others.
In the NL (National League), the Pittsburg Pirates came out on top, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Superbas, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Beaneaters, Chicago Orphans, New York Giants, and Cincinnati Reds.
The inaugural season of MLB featured sixteen teams. Since 2022, thirty teams have competed in MLB, including fifteen teams competing in the American League and fifteen teams competing in the National League.
The American League was founded in 1901, and the National League came into existence in 1876. The two merged into a single entity in 2000.
The very first World Series event was held in 1903. That year, the Boston Americans defeated the Pittsburg Pirates 5 – 3 and took home the shiny trophy.
Over the course of almost twelve decades, the most successful professional baseball league in the world had many ups and downs, but there was never a shortage of exciting matches.
Further, we take a look at the highest scoring MLB game in the history of the sport, and to do so, we have to go back a hundred years.
Most Runs Scored in an MLB Game?
So, what is the highest scoring MLB game in the history of the sport? That would be the match played between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies on the 23rd of August 1922, so a full century ago.
The previous season, Chicago Cubs finished in seventh place with sixty-four wins and eighty-nine losses, while the Philadelphia Phillies finished last with fifty-one wins and one hundred and three losses.
When discussing most runs scored in MLB games, there are some other interesting facts to mention.
The 1921 MLB season was the very first of three consecutive seasons in which the New York Yankees would lead in league standings.
In one hundred and fifty-two games, the team had fifty-nine home runs. In 1921, the very first World Series event was radio broadcasted.
That same year, the All-Time Home Run record by Roger Connor was taken by Babe Ruth. Needless to say, the 1921 MLB season was very eventful, and the following season offered equally exciting matches.
Back to the highest scoring MLB game, in 1922, the Phillies and the Cubs played a match that featured the most runs scored in a baseball game.
Both teams ended up with forty-nine runs in total. The Chicago Cubs had a total of twenty-six runs, while the Philadelphia Phillies finished the game with twenty-three.
As previously mentioned, the 1921 MLB season was rather disappointing for both teams, but the Phillies and the Cubs pulled off a tremendous comeback.
Events of the Highest Scoring MLB Game
So, the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies had the most runs scored in a baseball game, and the match between the two teams played one hundred years ago made history.
The Chicago Cubs, which back then were known as the White Stockings, also set another record. Back in 1883, the team set the record for having the most runs in a single inning.
When it comes to the highest scoring MLB game, things were great for the Phillies from the very beginning.
The first inning was very quiet, without much action going on. However, in the second inning, all Philadelphia Phillies batters went to home plate.
In the second inning, the Cubs scored ten runs, and by the third inning, it was 11 – 6 for the Phillies.
In the fourth inning, Marty Callaghan, the Cubs right-fielder, faced the same pitcher three times. The Phillies scored eight runs in the eighth and six runs in the final inning. Needless to say, this was an impressive comeback.
The team compiled ten runs in the second. Just two frames later, the Cubs scored fourteen to take a 25 – 6 lead. Most teams would struggle to keep up with such a deficit.
At the same time, the Phillies were not willing to give up. The team decreased the Cubs’ lead with three in the fifth. In the eighth, the team ended up amassing eight runs. Before the game ended, the Phillies collected twenty-three runs.
It is also worth mentioning that the Phillies scored twenty-three runs on twenty-six hits without a single homer. However, the star of the game was the Clubs Hack Miller.
In the world of baseball, Hack Miller is a well-known name. Before joining the Clubs, Hack Miller played for the Brooklyn Robins and the Boston Red Sox.
On the other side, Lefty Weinert and Jimmy Ring struggled to keep up with their teammates. Jimmy Ring surrendered sixteen runs and seventeen base runners, while Lefty Weinert surrendered the other eighteen base runners and ten scores before the match ended.
The highest scoring MLB game lasted three hours and one minute. Around seven thousand baseball fans witnessed one of the most memorable moments in the history of baseball.
Another Memorable Match between the Cubs and the Phillies
The match between the Cubs and Phillies played at Cubs Field was a true spectacle. However, the two teams had their fair share of memorable matches over the years.
On the 17th of May 1979, the Cubs and the Phillies met on Wrigley Field. In this match, the Cubs fought back from a major 21 – 9 deficit and eventually sent the match to extras.
In the end, the Phillies won 23 – 22 in ten innings.
For the Cubs, Dave Kingman whacked three homers, while for the Phillies, Mike Schmidt smacked two. The game ended with forty-five runs.
Aside from the 23 – 22 score, this match was also remembered for a battle between two star players, Dave Kingman and Mike Schmidt.
The match lasted for four hours, and it featured eleven home runs. It also featured fifteen walks. While it may not be as memorable as the highest scoring MLB game we discussed earlier, today’s old-time fans still remember it.
