Don Denkinger

Donald Anton Denkinger (born August 28, 1936 in Cedar Falls, Iowa) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1968 to 1998. In his final season, he and fellow umpire Larry Barnett tied Tommy Connolly's record for the longest service in AL history at 31 years; Barnett surpassed the record the following year.

"The Call"

"The Call" remains one of the more memorable, or heatbreaking, moments in World Series history. It was Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, with the St. Louis Cardinals leading the Kansas City Royals 3 games to 2. The Cardinals had taken a 1-0 on an 8th-inning single by little-used backup catcher Brian Harper after Danny Cox (of the Cardinals) and Charlie Leibrandt (of the Royals) had battled tit-for-tat all game long. Todd Worrell was now in the game for the Cardinals in the 9th inning, facing Jorge Orta for the Royals. Orta hit a slow roller to first baseman Jack Clark, who tossed to Worrell covering first base. First-base umpire Denkinger called Orta safe, but later replays and photographs showed he was clearly out by a step. According to Denkinger, he got too close to the play, first looked at Worrell's glove, and a second later looked at Orta's foot.

Related Topics:
Brian Harper - Danny Cox - Charlie Leibrandt - Todd Worrell - Jack Clark

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After the call, St. Louis collapsed and allowed Kansas City to score two runs in the inning and win the game 2-1. This call is blamed by Cardinal fans for costing St. Louis the game, while Royals fans point out the St. Louis implosion: Jack Clark bungling a foul pop-up hit by the next batter, Steve Balboni, who singled immediately thereafter; and then a passed ball by Darrell Porter, which allowed a blooper hit by Dane Iorg to score two runners (Onix Concepcion, who pinch-ran for Balboni and was on second, and Jim Sundberg, who was on first) to advance to scoring position. Kansas City easily won Game 7 by an 11-0 score, and with it the Royals took home their first ever World Series Trophy. Shortly after the game, Denkinger found Commissioner Peter Ueberroth – who was in utter disbelief when the call happened – waiting for him at the umpires' room. When Denkinger asked Ueberroth if he got the call right, Ueberroth bluntly told Denkinger "no!"

Related Topics:
Steve Balboni - Darrell Porter - Dane Iorg - Onix Concepcion - Jim Sundberg - World Series Trophy - Peter Ueberroth

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Game 7

Denkinger was the home plate umpire in Game 7 (a move that further annoyed the Cardinals). The Cardinals (especially manager Whitey Herzog) seemed to carry their grudge against Denkinger's bad call into Game 7. Some observers believe that after Denkinger's involvement in Game 6, the Cardinals felt that they had little chance at winning Game 7 and pretty much quit. Game 7 of the 1985 World Series turned into soapbox the Cardinals' frustrations the night before. Ace pitcher John Tudor got set up for slaughter, as he gave up five earned runs and four walks in 2 1/3 innings. Tudor was so disgusted by his performance that after leaving the game he punched an electrical fan with his pitching hand. What followed seemed to be Herzog turning Game 7 into a vengeful crusade against Denkinger. At one point during the game, ABC television cameras showed Herzog screaming and belittling Denkinger from the Cardinals' dugout. Herzog soon dispatched his most volitale and unpredictable pitcher, Joaquín Andújar, who proceeded to give up four runs in three and two-thirds innings of work, extending the Royals' lead to 10-0. Andújar exploded twice over ball calls from Denkinger as he, as well as Herzog, wound up getting ejected. Andújar was so furious at Denkinger and the blow-out that he let out his rage by smashing a toilet in the Cardinals' clubhouse.

Related Topics:
Whitey Herzog - John Tudor - ABC - Joaquín Andújar

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In the immediate aftermath of the 1985 World Series debacle, Denkinger received many hateful letters (and even death threats) from Cardinals fans. Two St. Louis disc jockeys went so far as to reveal Denkinger's telephone number and home address. At one point, Denkinger pulled up to his house only to find a police car in the driveway.

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