Astros beat Braves 7-6 after 18-inning game

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros gave a whole new meaning to the word “longevity.”

The 43-year-old Rocket came out of the bullpen to rescue the Astros, and Chris Burke ended the longest postseason game in baseball history with a home run in the 18th inning, lifting Houston over the Atlanta Braves 7-6 on Sunday and into the NL Championship Series.

The Braves took a five-run lead into the eighth but Lance Berkman hit a grand slam and Brad Ausmus tied Game 4 with a two-out homer in the ninth.

Then, at 6-6, the Braves and Astros began the real endurance test that wound up lasting 5 hours, 50 minutes. The previous longest postseason game also occurred in Houston - the New York Mets clinched the 1986 NLCS with a 16-inning win at the Astrodome.