WASHINGTON -- Dusty Baker was not in a major league dugout during the 2014 and '15 seasons, as he was out of baseball following his tenure as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

However, the baseball lifer still has the magic, and the first-year Washington Nationals manager certainly pushed the right buttons Sunday in an epic contest against the Minnesota Twins.

Chris Heisey hit a solo homer off Michael Tonkin to lead off the bottom of the 16th inning as the Nationals beat the Twins 6-5.

"We've seen thousands of games," Baker said. "They always say, go to the ballpark and you may see something you haven't seen before. Well this, I certainly haven't seen anything like this. This was crazy."

It was Heisey's first career walk-off homer. The game lasted five hours, 56 minutes, making it the longest regular-season game in Nationals history, since 2005, in terms of time. Heisey has 10 career pinch-hit homers; the one Sunday was not via pinch-hit, but it did come on a day when he was not in the starting lineup.

Some other moves that worked Sunday for Baker and his staff:

--Bryce Harper, out of the starting lineup for the first time this year, led off the ninth with a pinch-hit home run to tie the game and force extra innings.

"I haven't been here long, but that was incredible," Harper said of the win. "That's fun. That's baseball. That's baseball at every single level. (Baker) pulled everything he could out of his hat, and it worked for him. It was awesome to see."

--Baker sent fellow California native Joe Ross, normally a starting pitcher, up to pinch-hit in the 10th. Ross -- what else -- got a hit, though the Nationals did not score that inning.

--In the 15th inning, the Nationals were down to their last out, and Baker let reliever Oliver Perez bat since Washington was out of position players. Perez laid down a bunt to surprise the Twins, and a throw by catcher John Ryan Murphy got past first baseman Joe Maurer and allowed Danny Espinosa to score the tying run.

Baker said Perez (1-0) was bunting on his own.

"How do I feel? I feel like I just came ... out of the Twilight Zone," said Baker, whose team is now 14-4 and has won eight consecutive home games. "I mean, man, that was some game. That was a roller coaster game of emotions. ...

"I told (Harper) before the game I was going to save him toward the end of the game and only pinch-hit him because I told him about the time that I had put Barry Bonds in on a day off on a double switch. (Bonds) had a day off, and we ended up going 18 innings. I told him I didn't want that to happen to (Harper)."

Miguel Sano hit a two-out RBI single in the top of the 15th to give the Twins a 5-4 lead. His hit scored Eduardo Nunez, who singled for his fourth hit of the day and was ruled safe on a steal of second following a replay review after he was originally called out.

"It is never easy to lose a game in 16 innings," said Murphy, the Twins catcher. "We had a chance to win it, and it didn't happen. I threw (the ball) over Joe's head. That is what happened."

Harper's game-tying shot came off Twins closer Kevin Jepsen. Harper then left the game and spent part of extra innings wearing his rally cap on the Washington bench.

Brian Dozier (two hits) hit a three-run homer on a 3-2 pitch from Stephen Strasburg in the eighth to give the Twins a 4-1 lead.

Wilson Ramos had a two-run double in the last of the eighth as the Nationals trimmed the margin to 4-3. However, Twins reliever Trevor May, who gave up those two runs, retired the next three batters.

Strasburg gave up seven hits and four runs with 10 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.

The Twins (5-14) tied the game at 1-1 in the third on a one-out RBI single against Strasburg by Nunez, who ended the day with four hits.

The Nationals scored in the first inning for the third day in a row as Matt den Dekker led off with a solo homer into the Washington bullpen in right on the fifth pitch from starter Tyler Duffey. It was the first career leadoff homer for den Dekker, who got the start in place of Harper.

In the fifth den, Dekker hit a liner off the upper right shoulder of Duffey, a right-hander. It was an infield single for den Dekker, and Duffey left the game as Casey Fien came on to pitch for the Twins.

Duffey went four-plus innings and allowed one run and five hits while throwing 74 pitches. He was taken out for precautionary reasons with a right arm contusion.

Michael A. Taylor, batting .161 at game time, had two infield singles for the Nationals, and Daniel Murphy, den Dekker and Jayson Werth added two hits apiece.

"We have to put this game behind us," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Those are tough."

Tonkin, who fell to 0-1, added "It is pretty clear it is a game we could have won. It is frustrating."

NOTES: Twins 1B Joe Maurer came off the bench and went 1-for-3. ... The Nationals' 8-1 home record is the majors' best, while the Twins' 1-10 road mark is the majors' worst. ... Washington begins a series at home Tuesday with the Philadelphia Phillies, while the Twins host the Cleveland Indians on Monday. Former Nationals LHP Tommy Milone (0-1, 5.87 ERA) goes against Cleveland RHP Danny Salazar (2-1, 1.47 ERA). ... Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy, who got the day off Saturday, was back in the starting lineup Sunday. ... Twins INF Jorge Polanco was sent to Triple-A Rochester to make room for RHP Tyler Duffey, who made the start for Minnesota. Duffey got the start in place of RHP Ervin Santana, who was scratched due to a sore lower back.