The Detroit Tigers lost their longest game in more than four years, falling to the Oakland Athletics 7-6 in 13 innings on Friday night at Oakland Coliseum.
The game featured 41 players, including 16 pitchers, and lasted three hours and 45 minutes.
The Tigers had leads in the top of the 10th, 11th and 12th innings, but couldn't hold on.
The crushing loss for the Tigers (71-71) in the series opener against Oakland (62-80) comes one night after a dramatic ninth-inning victory in San Diego.
The Tigers are now 5 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins (76-65), who hold the final American League wild card spot. They've also fallen behind the Seattle Mariners (72-70) and Boston Red Sox (71-70), who are also chasing the Twins.
Parker Meadows hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning to lead the Tigers to victory on Thursday night, and it looked like he would be the hero on Friday as well.
His line drive in the 11th inning went over the head of former Tiger Daz Cameron in left field, scoring two runs.
But the A's answered back in the bottom of the 11th when pinch-hitter Seth Brown hit a two-run homer off Tigers reliever Shelby Miller.
BOX SCORE
Brown also had the walk-off hit two innings later, a single to right field against Tigers reliever Beau Brieske.
This was the Tigers' first game to stretch into the 13th inning since a 1-0 loss to the Rays on Aug. 17, 2019 at Tampa Bay.
The A's and Tigers scored in every half-inning after the ninth except the top of the 13th. That's tied for the most in an extra-inning game in the modern era. The Twins and Chicago White Sox also scored in seven half-innings in 1974.
Tigers starter Tarik Skubal allowed two runs on nine hits through 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven without a walk. Will Vest finished the sixth inning and became the first of seven Detroit relievers.
Riley Greene put the Tigers on the board with an RBI single in the fifth inning that knocked A's starter Mitch Spence out of the game.
Greene finished with a game-high four hits. He doubled and scored on back-to-back wild pitches by Michel Otanez in the seventh and had an RBI single in the 12th.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the top of the 13th thanks to two walks by A's reliever Grant Holman. But Meadows, two innings removed from what seemed like a game-winner, struck out to end the threat.
Up next: The Tigers and Athletics play again on Saturday at 4:07 p.m. Eastern time.
Left-hander Brant Hurter (3-1, 3.25 ERA) will start for the Tigers.
The A's have not yet announced their starter, although right-hander Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.52) would be in line to start.
Hurter is making his seventh big-league appearance but just his second traditional start. He's struck out 26 and walked just three in 27 2/3 innings of work.