Longtime major league umpire Don Denkinger, who made a costly blown call at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, has died, MLB announced Friday. He was 86. No cause of death was given.
In Game 6 of that 1985 World Series, Denkinger incorrectly called Kansas City Royals pinch-hitter Jorge Orta safe at first base even though St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell received the flip from first baseman Jack Clark and had his foot on the bag. Worrell and Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog argued fervently, though there was no mechanism in place to overturn calls at the time.
"I was in good position, but Worrell is tall, the throw was high, and I couldn't watch his glove and his feet at the same time," Denkinger told Sports Illustrated afterward. "It was a soft toss, and there was so much crowd noise, I couldn't hear the ball hit the glove."
The blown call placed Orta at first base to begin the ninth inning with the Royals down 1-0. Kansas City went on to win the game on Dane Iorg's walk-off two-run single a few batters later, forcing Game 7. The Royals won that game 11-0 -- with Denkinger behind the plate as the crew chief -- to secure to franchise's first World Series championship.
Denkinger received death threats for years following the blown call, so much so that the FBI conducted investigations. Later in life, he willingly signed photos of the blown call during appearances. He was a guest speaker at a benefit dinner for the Whitey Herzog Youth Foundation in 2005.
A big league umpire from 1969-98, Denkinger worked three All-Star Games (1971, 1976, 1987), six Championship Series (1972, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1988, 1992), and four World Series (1974, 1980, 1985, 1991). He was the home plate umpire for Bucky Dent's home run in the 1978 AL East tiebreaker game and also the Jack Morris vs. John Smoltz duel in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.
Denkinger umpired 3,824 regular season MLB games, with his last full season coming in 1993, before retiring in 1998. He served as an umpire adviser later in his career.
