A Platte City man plans to spend a good chunk of his Memorial Day weekend playing baseball.In another attempt at the Guinness Book of World Records, Scott Allen, 45, will join 55 other players in Sauget, Ill. to play for 70 consecutive hours at GCS Ballpark — home to the minor league Gateway Grizzlies. Allen has participated in two previous record games — the first for 60 hours and the second for 62. The group plans to raise money for the Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation charity during the weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 21 with the conclusion slated for 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 24.
‘You can’t explain it. It’s just a bunch of guys getting together,” Allen said.
The 56 players will be divided into two 28-man teams with A and B squads. Those squads will rotate every four hours.
Players can not leave the ballpark, meaning the short breaks for sleep will happen in the clubhouses. Adidas sponsored the event with all of the equipment, but an event like this takes immense planning. Allen, a resident of Platte City since the age of six, said about a year’s worth of work goes into setting up all the small details.
“You have to get sponsorships. You have to find a venue,” he said. “If a venue says it can, you have to make sure it can hold it around other events there. You have to pick out a good organization you’re going to play for and get enough guys to play. Then you have the meals and the medical …”
Players in this year’s event range from age 18 to 61.
The current record for the longest baseball game played is 62 hours, 32 minutes and 59 seconds, set in 2013 at the same venue. St. Louis beat Joplin 250-196 in that attempt. The teams for this week’s event will be Dino and Lange, in accordance with the sponsors.
To learn more or to donate to the cause, visit www.worldrecordbaseball.com.