Rockies, Pads run marathon

It started with reigning N.L. Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy throwing the first pitch just before sunset and ended right around last call.

In between, the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres played baseball for 6 hours, 16 minutes. There was a seventh-inning stretch, a 14th-inning stretch and finally, a 21st-inning stretch.

So forgive Colorado’s Yorvit Torrealba and San Diego’s Josh Bard if their knees are a little sore – they caught all 22 innings.

Torrealba wearily pumped a fist in celebration at 1:21 a.m. Friday after Kip Wells finally secured the Rockies’ 2-1 victory by getting Padres pitcher Glendon Rusch to take a called third strike on the game’s 659th pitch. San Diego’s spacious Petco Park simply didn’t surrender much offense on a pleasant spring night – and early morning.

Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks would have loved this one, since he always used to say, “Let’s play two!” But even he might have worn down a bit, since this was roughly the equivalent of 2 1/2 games.

It was the longest game in the majors since Aug. 31, 1993, when Minnesota beat Cleveland 5-4 in 22 innings; the longest in Rockies history and in the five-year history of Petco Park; and the longest by innings for the Padres.

It ranks among the 17 longest games in big league history, by inning. The longest was 26 innings, a 1-1 tie between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves on May 1, 1920, at Boston.

Clearing the bases

Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine has been placed on the disabled list for the first time in his 22-year career because of a strained right hamstring that needs more time to heal. … Rookie third baseman Evan Longoria and the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to a $17.5 million, six-year contract, a deal that could be worth up to $44.5 million over nine seasons. … Ryan Klesko is retiring after 16 seasons in the major leagues. … The family of New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle has settled a dispute with the operator of a Web site accused of promoting too much of the Hall of Famer’s merchandise. … Joseph Dion, who said he is the trainer Jose Canseco calls “Max” in his book, “Vindicated,” denied Canseco’s version of events that suggest Dion introduced Alex Rodriguez to steroids.