Ruben Tejada hit a sacrifice fly in the 18th inning and New York Mets outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 Sunday despite stranding 25 baserunners.
The Mets went 1 for 26 with runners in scoring position, yet still won the majors' second-longest game this season. Boston beat the Yankees in 19 innings in April.
It took 5 hours, 55 minutes for the Mets to top the NL Central-leading Cardinals and avoid a three-game sweep.
Tejada hit a bases-loaded fly for the lead and Eric Campbell then drove in another run with a squeeze bunt.
The game was scoreless until both teams got a run in the 13th.
Carlos Torres (3-4), the seventh Mets pitcher, gave up one hit in two innings.
Carlos Martinez (10-4), who was scheduled to start on Tuesday night, was pressed into relief and was the Cardinals' eighth pitcher. He allowed five hits and four walks in four innings.
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The Mets got 16 hits and drew 13 walks. Kevin Plawecki hit an RBI single for their lone run until the 18th.
The Cardinals got 13 hits, including Kolten Wong's leadoff homer in the 13th inning, and five walks. St. Louis went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
New York loaded the bases in the 18th on singles by Wilmer Flores and Curtis Granderson followed by a sacrifice from Plawecki that Martinez didn't cleanly handled. Tejada followed with a deep fly and Campbell bunted home another run.
Mets starter Jonathon Niese gave up five hits in 7 2-3 innings. Cardinals rookie Tim Cooney pitched three-hit ball for 5 2-3 innings.
This wasn't the first time these teams endured a scoring drought against each other at Busch Stadium. They played 18 scoreless innings on April 17, 2010, before both teams scored in the 19th and the Mets won 2-1 in the 20th.
Granderson doubled in the 13th and scored on Plawecki's single off Carlos Villaneuva.
Wong tied it with his homer off Jeurys Familia. Jhonny Peralta singled with one out and went to third on a two-out double by Yadier Molina before Familia struck out Tommy Pham to extend the game.
