Cover of The Denkinger Call: How One Pitch Changed Baseball Forever

The Denkinger Call: How One Pitch Changed Baseball Forever

The Denkinger Call: How One Pitch Changed Baseball Forever

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October 26th carries some wonderful sports history, but let's zero in on 1985, the night the New York Islanders dynasty era gave way to something unexpected, or rather, let's talk about one of the most beloved October 26th moments, which took place in 1977, when Reggie Jackson wasn't swinging a bat but something equally electric was happening in the baseball world as the hot stove began to churn. Actually, the crown jewel of this date belongs to 1922... no, let's get specific and tell this one properly. On October 26, 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees were deep into one of the most dramatic World Series in history, with Cookie Lavagetto and Bill Bevens creating the kind of lore that baseball fans still swap stories about today. But if we want a truly delicious, detailed centerpiece for this date, look to October 26, 1985, Game Six of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals. This game produced one of the most controversial and unforgettable moments in baseball history. The Cardinals led the series three games to two and were just three outs away from clinching the championship. With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, Kansas City's Jorge Orta hit a slow grounder to the right side of the infield. First baseman Jack Clark fielded it and flipped to pitcher Todd Worrell covering the bag. Television replays showed, rather clearly, that Orta was out. Umpire Don Denkinger, standing right there at first base, called him safe. The Cardinals were incensed, Whitey Herzog argued himself hoarse, but the call stood. That single moment flipped the entire complexion of the game and arguably the series. The Royals capitalized on the new life, scored two runs in the inning, and won the game. Rattled and furious, the Cardinals came apart at the seams the following night in Game Seven, getting blown out eleven to zero, with catcher Darrell Porter and pitcher Joaquin Andujar both getting ejected for arguing with Denkinger again. Kansas City claimed its first World Series championship in franchise history, led by series MVP Bret Saberhagen. The blown call became forever known simply as The Denkinger Call, a phrase that still makes St. Louis fans wince decades later. It sparked enormous debate about instant replay and umpiring accountability in baseball, conversations that would eventually help push the sport toward adopting replay review decades later. Don Denkinger himself received death threats in the aftermath, a staggering overreaction that showed just how much that single blown call wounded a fan base and a franchise. For Kansas City, though, October 26th will always be remembered as the night a questionable call turned destiny in their favor, delivering the city its first taste of baseball's ultimate glory. So on this date, baseball history reminds us that sports are never just about talent and preparation, they are also about those split-second human moments, officiating blunders included, that can swing championships, break hearts, and create legends. Few single calls in any sport have been as endlessly dissected, defended, and despised as the one Don Denkinger made at first base on October 26, 1985.
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