I remember how that ONE call changed the series. Yes, you can say the Cards didn't show up for Game 7...but I never saw one call make a bigger difference than this one. Watching sports since 1975.
Kinda obscure call with no film on it to date. 1972 Oakland scored the winning run on a blown call at 1st base easily worse than this one.against the tigers in the 5th game of a 5 game series to determine the A.L. champs. oakland went on to win the world series.
1975? If you were following sports in 1975, then you should have known about the Interference Call that was never called in the 1975 World Series on Ed Armbrister. In Game 3 of the 1975 World Series played at Cincinnati, Armbrister bunted the ball and got in the way of Boston Red Sox Catcher Carlton Fisk who was trying to quickly pick it up and throw the ball to Second. Because of that, Fisk threw the ball wildly to Second while the runner went to 3rd.
I was born in ‘75 and only 10 years old in my gramma’s den watching this game and I remember it was at that moment that I realized that life wasn’t fair.
It's not like they pulled some 17 year old kid from the local rec league to umpire a world series game. These are highly trained professionals that do this for a living. Denkinger was a veteran ump. Your suppose to get those calls right.
@@seanleblancdualca WRONG! Orta never scored...the Cardinals choked over a simple missed call...they then dropped a foul pop fly and made horrible pitching location decisions
Royals fans since 1970. And I’m here to tell you, despite how happy I was about this back then (bad calls happen was the saying back then, and I’d seen enough go against my teams), I knew it laid the case for replay in the future.
I was listening to the game with the clock radio under the pillow. I was shocked when the the Royals won the game. I tiptoed to my brother's room to tell him. He already knew, because he too was listening to the game with the clock radio under the pillow.
After this game, The Head of Umpires went over to Don Denkinger and told him that he blew this call. In looking carefully at this play, he knew that Jorge Orta was out!
I grew up close to St. Louis, so I was a Cardinal fan. In 1985 I lived in Memphis and was dating a girl (who I would eventually marry, unfortunately) whose family was from KC. So this WS was particularly fun for me and her family. After game 7 and the Royals had their first World Championship, I was at her house and her big brother was taunting me. I said something like, "Well, if not for the ump calling a guy safe at first when he was clearly out, then the Royals would still be without a ring." His response was to break into a sly smile and say, "He wasn't out! Didn't you see the ump, he did this..." at which time he did the "safe" gesture. I laugh about it now, but it was troubling back then.
The problem with this call is that your paid to get them right. The play was not even close. He was out by a comfortable margin and Denkinger had a great look at it. It makes you question his competency at the time.
@Paul Kryder I agree and fair enough in real time it is different then slow mo. But your suppose to get those calls right. It was a fairly routine play. It's the World Series and your suppose to be the best.
@Paul Kryder And one more thing. Denkinger should have recused himself from game 7 or MLB should have removed him. He had become the story. That would have been the fair thing to do.
@@travismcdonald6576 Thanks for responding! It's the World Series so you expect the best ump crew and you expect them to get calls like that right. Even though it was a close play it was a routine play at first base that happens several times during a game. My problem with Denkinger and MLB is that they should have not allowed him to go behind the plate for the following game or Denkinger should have recused himself because he became the story.
The call was 100% incorrect but let’s be honest, in fast motion the play does appear to be a lot closer than it looks in slow motion. Still no excuse but in real time I think the call was more difficult to make than people are willing to admit.
I could have called this guy out in my youth. An experienced ump should have had no problem, unless of course he had money on the Royals to win the series.
@@mpup54 That’s the exact point MLB doesn’t like brought up, you know some of the Cardinals players might have had that in the back of their minds. And he was an AL ump, plus he was home plate ump for game seven.
@@TheGeoScholar But look at it this way, if the correct call is made, it's now 1 out. And maybe they don't make those future plays and it goes down the way it usually does.
Saw this live as a 10 year old. Was rooting hard for St Louis this series. Still annoying to this day to see the replay. The pathetic thing is that he had a perfect angle and still blew the call.
This one crushed me as a kid.. watching the game with my Dad and I think I wanted them to win so badly because Dad loved the Cardinals so much and I loved seeing him so excited as when they won it all in '82. After growing up and seeing an interview with Denkinger on how hard that one call made his life and how so many people never forgave him (and even sent threatening letters to him), I realized how incredibly dumb it was to hold a grudge over a sporting event. Don was a big family/community guy and had a big heart for everyone he met. I saw Don in a whole different light and realized his entire career was overshadowed by one blown call.. an honest mistake he made in a split decision. He was always remorseful after the call and there are people who still don't forgive him. Seems so small and petty now. Don passed away earlier this year. I tip my cap to a consummate professional who lived a life of integrity and loved earnestly. He had a career of excellence. We should all be so lucky to leave such a legacy behind. May your soul soar, sir!
His "legacy" is stealing a WS and giving it to KC. Like yeah, he made a mistake in the call, but it was because he ignored the instruction in the MLB rulebook "Keep your eye everlastingly upon the ball". Like, don't get me wrong, he (and esp his family) shouldn't get death threats, but a WS definitely isn't small nor petty, he definitely didn't have a career of excellence, and I'd sure hope I didn't have a legacy as bad as his.
If MLB had replay in 1985 that call would have been overturned. However, another call in that game would have been overturned as well with Frank White at 2nd Base, he would have been called Safe and likely would have scored on a Pat Sheridan Single. This would have been the 1st out of a 1-1 game in the Bottom of the 9th.
Keep telling yourself that! Worst record MLB 2023 and need 3 billon dollar stadium. Can't fill the 1 they got and Chiefs are happy with Arrowhead stadium. Any response sore winner?
I think this has got to be the most impactful blown call in modern sports history. Sometimes people forget when we can or can't think of something as a "given," when in reality it's a very simple idea, especially in sports. During any given play, we can only take what has happened up until that play as a given. At this point in time, it is not a given that Balboni hits the single. It is not a given that the Royals dunk in Game 7. It is not a given that Orta gets out later in the inning. At this point in time, we can only take as a given that it is a 1-0 game in the bottom of the 9th, and that this call radically changes the makeup of the rest of the inning. As others have mentioned, the infield would be placed differently, the pitcher would have a different mentality, and the psychological momentum of the game would be completely different. However, the reason that this it he most impactful blown call is that it is the one where all of the "givens" bring the losing team closest to victory. Cards just need to get two more outs to win it all, an extremely achievable and relatively likely outcome. Even they fail at that the game could go to extras (so they could win), or if they lose here they could win Game 7 (because remember, if Orta gets called out then it is no longer a given that they lose Game 7). In looking at other popular candidates: - Galarraga was an individual accomplishment, and also almost every baseball fan in the world unanimously gives him implicit credit for having pitched a perfect game. I would not be surprised if MLB officially credits him with a perfecto, but even if not: World Series is a team accomplishment (and literally what each team works towards each year), and the Cards will never be implicitly recognized as the '85 champs. - The Saints call was more egregious, but it was in the NFC championship game. If it was in the final minutes of the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl then it would be comparable. But especially given the AFC winner is the Brady-Belichick Patriots, it is very likely the Saints lose anyways. - Game 6 of the '02 WCF can't be boiled down to a single call, but still follows the same logic as the above, though admittedly the Kings would likely be favored in the Finals. Still, this wasn't even the last game of the WCF, let alone the Finals. No other call changed momentum while a team was so close to closing the deal. That is what makes it the worst call ever.
Was the game tied at the time, with a runner on third, and this let in the winning run? No. After Orta reached, did the Cardinals still have a chance to prevent the tying run from scoring? Yes. After game six, was the series over? No. Did umpiring cause the Cardinals to get outscored in game seven by 11 runs? No. It was a bad call. Without a doubt. But the Cardinals fell apart.
@@MrApollonox I do agree it has more impact, so I guess what I meant is more of an impact in terms of a teams chance to win the title. Given that play was in quarters of the World Cup, they’re would’ve still needed to win semis and finals to win the World Cup. But yes in terms of general cultural / sports impact that blown call might be #1 all time
@@dash_r_media you aggressively miss the point I’m making. I am saying that, of blown calls in sports history, this one likely had the greatest impact in terms of preventing a team from winning a title. I am guessing you didn’t even read my comment because I actually analyze almost every point you brought up. Legitimately pathetic retort
What makes this is an easy call to miss is that the pitcher is running to cover the base as the ball arrives. On a normal play, an umpire is watching to see which of two events happen first - the ball hitting the glove or the runner’s foot touching the base. Here, the umpire is watching to see if the pitcher’s foot is on the base before the ball arrives, and also whether the ball beats the runner’s foot. The brain trying to observe the sequence of the three events in rapid succession is much harder than two.
He was MLB umpire not little league. If he couldn’t get that one right not only shouldn’t he be calling a World Series game, he shouldn’t be in the big leagues.
I was in Junior High and betting one of my teachers for this series win. I had St Louis, boy was she all smiles after game 6. Oh, she took the money after game 7 with no remorse. Chalk it up to learning hard gaming lessons early in life. When you watch this one, it looks like Don actually calls the runner safe before he even hits the bag!
And I’m sure you love your one lonely championship in well over 100 years watching the Cubbies in a stadium That should be condemned. Last time I was there they literally has affixed nets to catch falling concrete- only in Chicago! It’s always great to get a seat with a view obstructed by a metal pole right in front of you or the terrible aroma of stale Old Style and urine that populates the place. What a mess Chicago is. Thank God I moved years ago
The Cozart play against the Marlins was still a considered out because the catcher blocked home, but this has no explanation. Just a blind af umpire lol
The play that instigated the current usage of replay reviews/challenges in today's game was the Armando Galarraga "perfect game that wasn't" (and though I am a lifelong, devoted Tiger fan who was watching that game, I think it could be argued that Joyce's call wasn't wrong, since it isn't an empirical fact that Jason Donald was out... the ball hit Galarraga's glove in time, but it appeared to be loosely moving in the instant after initial contact, arguably meaning that he hadn't secured the throw yet... think of it this way... if a throw hits a glove and pops up in the air, and then the fielder "re-catches" it, when is the batter out? The rulebook is not clear on this kind of thing. The language is vague. But anyway...), but if the technology was at the same stage in 1985, this video shows the play that would have been the cause for "replay" being implemented. Today, Angel Hernandez (most umpiring isn't good, but he is the epitome of how bad it is) is the reason that the next step is going to be taken, with the Wyatt Langford at bat being the specific trigger for the seemingly inevitable change. They are already doing it at AAA in test form, and most people are liking it.
I don’t think Denkinger missed this call on purpose, but it has always bugged me as a baseball fan when the umpires can have an impact on a game, especially a critical World Series (with no consequences coming their way). The players should be the ones that win or lose the games, not the managers/coaches, and definately NOT the umpiring. Back in those days, who is to say an umpire couldn’t blatantly miss multiple calls against the same team in the same game and that have a significant impact on the game.
Rich, it's baseball. It's a sport. No one went to prison or got hurt. It's time to let it go. Sometimes the best team doesn't win it all. So the ump missed the call and allowed a runner on first. The Cards defense blew it after that. Missed the catch on Balboni's foul pop up. Porter gets crossed up and has a passed ball that erased the bad bunt and advanced the runners. The right fielder was playing too deep and couldn't get the winning run at the plate. The Cards botched it way more than the ump. And then they had another chance in game 7 and what happened? Oh it was the ump's tight strike zone someone said. He obviously had a tighter zone for the Cards than the Royals.
Man you gotta feel for the guy though. You gotta know that nobody felt worse about that than he did and after started getting death threats and letters sent to his family for a good 5-8 years after that happened. Nobody deserved that.
I always say the cardinals have 12 titles because don denkinger even now will admit he blew the call The cards were loaded and clearly a better team The royals wouldve came in 4th place back then! If they were in th he national league 12 rings for stl !
It looks a lot closer now than it did in '85. Just keep in mind that the 1st base umpire has to not only determine which foot hits the base first, he also has to watch for the ball reaching the glove. In real time, making an accurate call amid the crowd noise seems nearly impossible to me. The ump needs to be close to the bag, making it literally impossible to see both the base and the incoming ball at once. I'm from St. Louis (Cardinal fan of course) and saw the Cards' game fall apart after the bad call. Of course I was livid with anger at the time, but you can't expect humans to be computers - even the best of the human race makes mistakes.
All you say is true. However, he is a professional umpire and is paid to have good judgment and be accurate especially on calls that are not hard to determine by replay.
Obviously out with replay but it was a close play that anybody could screw up in the moment. It's just unfortunate it was in such a big moment. It was a half step not whatever exaggerated amount some of you are saying.
@Vincent Cuttolo Live my first reaction was that the foot had come off the bag. Replays shows that it hadn't, the toe was still on the bag. It was actually a close play too, the runner was out by about two feet.
Kind of a bad time to make a bad call this was a momentum changer kind of makes me think if they are able to replay a play and they can slowdown the play and see if he is out why wasn’t there booth review years ago to overturn the call I’m mean there’s clearly enough evidence to overturn also wonder if he was called out would the cardinals even win the game still
This call and the Armando Galaragga blown imperfect game call leave me with two questions what were Don Denkinger (1985) and Jim Joyce (2011) looking at ? and how do you blow a call like that?
At least Jim Joyce was apologetic after blowing Armando Gallaraga’s Perfect Game on a 9th Inning Bad Call. Did Don Denkinger show any remorse to The City of St. Louis for this Bad Call?
People like you deserve no apologies. St. Louis is "the best baseball town in America". Just ask them. But this guy blows a call, and you people send him death threats. Over a game. I hope St. Louis loses a bunch of WS from bad calls and they move the franchise out of town.
lol. Welcome to any major sports town. Even worse happened from Saints fans over the NFC championship game no call and Boston fans from the Buckner mistake. STL is no different than anywhere else in these instances
Lets not give Denkinger too much credit for owning up to his bad call. He really had no choice. It was plain as day! I always felt that the right thing for him to do was to recuse himself from calling balls and strikes behind the plate for game 7. That would have been a real display of character. However, as a StL native and life long fan, I take pride in the fact that STL has and always will be a far superior baseball franchise to Kansas City. Numbers don't lie.
Your right but even in foul territory he still should have got it right. Quick question! Back then was it customary for umps to stay in foul territory or move around to get a better angle. Did Denkiger just choose to stay in foul territory?
@@MNsportsnut yep Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores so it probably should've been 1-1 in the 9th anyway
Why would the umpire call him safe? 1. He was 3 feet from the bag 2. The runner was clearly out Obviously the umpire saw something we didn't to call him safe... I fail to understand what it was though. Or he is just a bad umpire.
Did the Don Denkinger call hurt them, absolutely, but I wouldn't out and out say that it cost them the 1985 World Series. Keep in mind that in that World Series, were already behind the proverbial 8-ball with an injured Vince Coleman (their leadoff man, stolen base leader, and main ignitor) not being able to participate due to a freak leg injury that he suffered during the NLCS against the Dodgers. It was also during this World Series that the Cardinals only had a .185 batting average. That's said to be the lowest team average in a seven-game long World Series until the New York Yankees' .183 batting average in the 2001 World Series.
What is crazy how much this really changed the perception of the Cards as the team of the 80's. They beat the Brewers in 82(?). They should have won this World Series and then lost to Twins in 87. They had some pretty bad luck. Losing Tudor to that Spring Training broken leg. And then in this series didn't Vince Coleman jack up his leg? And then Jack Clark getting hurt for the post season in 1987. Man tough luck Cards fan.
@@martymcnally1560 Even if the call is made correctly, the subsequent sequence of events would have led to a KC victory. Boo hoo. Game 7 was a blast to watch.
@@forman208That's true of anyone who can't take an objective look. The Cards were outplayed-game 7 is evidence of that. That one call wasn't the only one blown in the series, and they didn't all fall for the Royals.
Earlier this same game Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores should've been 1-1 in the 9th Plus they were up 3-1 had 3 chances and blew it
Should be 13 already, that 87 team might have been the best of the 80's, took the Twins to 7 games WITHOUT JACK CLARK....unreal to lose your big bopper and still almost pull it off.
This call swung a world series. What's funny is that this was the worst Royals team of that 76-85 run, and the only one to win it and they won it like this. Baseball is so random in the playoffs. Best team rarely wins.
I was a HUGE Royals fan back then, and I HATED the Cardinals. That being said, the Cards TOTALLY got ripped off, even a blind man can see that! I'm glad that MLB now has replay.
well, at least Brett got a ring . As a Card fan, it was tough enough to lose Vince Coleman in a freak accident with the tarp before the WS even started....
@@douglasmiller346 I grew up in Milwaukee. So as you can imagine, that's how we Brewer fans feel about the fact that we lost Rollie Fingers right before the 1982 playoffs, leaving us with bullpen pitchers that were nowhere near as qualified to be closers. Your team has won many championships, while my Brewers are currently tied with the Padres as the two oldest teams never to win a W.S. (Both teams originally formed in 1969)
Earlier this same game Frank White was called out on a stolen base Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores so it probably should've been 1-1 to start the 9th anyway Also Cards were up 3-1 they had 3 chances and blew them all
A good manager would have not dwelled on this call and settled the team down for game seven. They were obviously not prepared physically or emotionally for the decisive game and it showed.
I was a tough call for him because he didn't have a clear view of the incoming ball, the runner blocked the view. Crowd noise, he likely couldn't hear the ball hit the glove..and their feet were right together. Yeah watching the replay in real time and slow mo he's definitely out but these variables made it less than a routine play.
That’s what I’ve always said, his arms were already in motion even before a ball hit a glove or a foot hit a base. And to add insult to injury, the two quick safe calls, followed by the third exaggerated call.
The Royals player involved in this call (Orta) was out at third later in this same inning and never scored. Also, the Cardinals dropped a pop up in foul territory and had a passed ball in this same inning. Additionally, if we want to be really fair talking about blown calls in this game, there was blown call against Frank White of the Royals in the 4th while stealing second that easily cost the Royals a run. Oh, and the Cardinals lost Game 7 by 11 runs. But yeah, it's all the umpires fault the Cardinals lost the 85 World Series. Yep.
if he had been out there would have been one out and the next batttter would have hit a single there was runners on first and second the man bunted IF he had been out runner on first could have grounded out to a dp the chances of him bunting with one runner on are very low cards should have won
Two blown calls leading to the loss of a run and the gain of a run. Kinda equalled out with the poor officiating. If you examing one bad call and play the what if game you gotta look at both.
Orta was out on a fielder's choice, that's a very relevant fact. As is the fact that the fielder's choice was on a bunt attempt that likely wouldn't have been attempted if Orta had correctly been called out at first base.
Orta being out on this play would have changed the dynamic of the inning drastically. If there were no one on first, then both the Cardinals and the Royals would have played the inning differently, with a very real chance that the Cardinals could have got the next two batters out and became World Series champs. Instead they had to deal with a man on first, which changes the fielding dynamics, as well as the pitching strategy. These changes were enough to lead to the Royals winning, instead of the Cardinals potentially winning.
To this day, the umpire, Don Denkinger has always said he made the right call. His eyes were on the bag and saw Saberhagen's toes lift off just enough to see space between cleat and 1st base. It was hard to see on video as pitchers foot was squarely on bag to receive the toss from Clark before this happened. Years later even Saberhagen got around to admitting his foot lifted just enough at wrong time.
Does anyone else ever wonder if these umpires have money riding on the games and any close call they can swing it in their favor every time. Especially the home plate umpire. I’d wager that many games are decided by an umpires bets
@@greeneggz_n_ham And I'll lay you 50-1 odds that when Jerry Meals let the Braves have it over the Pirates in Atlanta in the bottom of that 19-inning epic (calling the Braves runner safe when he was clearly out), he had bets on Atlanta against the Pirates, and just wanted it to be over so he could go home.
No excuses for missing that...however in real time with the helmet and cap flying by near the bag...Orta tripping over it, that likely caused a distraction for the ump and contributed to him missing the call. watching it on TV as it unfolded I thought safe too and was surprised on the replay at just how out he was. It was an awkward looking play...but he was out.
This one cause it cost a team a World Series. No discredit to the Gallaraga one though, as it was still an important call, but when your whole season feels like it goes to waste because of a bad call, you know that one has to be worse.
@@StellarWishGaming2002 earlier this same game Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores so it probably should've been 1-1 in the 9th anyway
That would have been out #1, so there is no guarantee that the Royals would not have tied the game anyway. Cardinals did not show up in game 7 when they had a chance to make people forget this call. This does not compare to the Saints getting screwed in the playoffs in my opinion.
Probably should've been 1-1 to start the 9th Earlier in the game Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores
Its not the same thing as a football team replaying a game, you have different starting pitchers and other key elements from game to game with lineups. No way the are the same.
No doubt the ball hit the glove well before the baserunner..question I thought was umpire might have thought foot was off bag when he caught it.I dont see how he called him safe..its not even close. My only issue is was his foot off the bag when he caught it.
Lets say Orta was called out. Balboni still singles, he gets pinch ran for. Sundberg bunts him to second, past ball and a single by Iorg ties the game and we the top of the lineup coming up.
It is called the ripple effect for a reason. One cannot be positive the same things happen if the call goes the Redbird's way. Confidence is a crazy thing as is momentum. I will give you this. Players are taught to shake it off when the calls go against you. The reason why is so you do not make it worse. One mistake or error can turn into other errors like the pitcher not being confident and calling a different pitch instead of one that the batter might have struggled with. The Redbirds were not able to shake it off and the Royals did a fantastic job of capitalizing on it. That is why they won the World Seris.
@@handheldnintendofan not necessarily...space time ripple effect. It took you 30 years to get a real world series win, you can just admit 1985 has a huge astrick.
Orta was actually the first out of that inning. Had game 7 in which they got kiled, and blew a 3-1 lead but somehow its all denkingers fault? Its just like Kerry Fraser and the Maple Leafs.
We don't know that the botched call cost the Cardinals the World Series, but we also don't know that it didn't. And remember that year the Blue Jays got hosed against the Royals too by a bad call
It's a cruel business. I'm sure that Denkinger was a fine ump and did his best to make the right call. Unfortunately, he didn't and it has overshadowed everything else that he did in his career.
Every time this video clip is shown it should by law be required to show Jack Clark booting an easy pop fly from Balboni that also would have won the game.
I used to think it was an easy pop up, but I just now went and watched it again in slow speed. The ball landed in the dugout, he might have caught it, but he probably would have had to dive into the dugout.
Also Frank White should've had a stolen base earlier in the game and Pat Sheridan single probably scores him so it's probably 1-1 in the 9th Also they were up 3-1 they had 3 games to finish them and choked
Sure on a fielder's choice that would have been an additional out somewhere else. The entire outcome of the inning was altered when the leadoff man reached base instead of being the first out.
That call cost me my last sports bet. I bet a guy that St Louis would win it in 5. Umpire gets the call right, I collect. Don't panic, it wasn't huge amount of money ($20) but still. This should not have happened.
I remember how that ONE call changed the series.
Yes, you can say the Cards didn't show up for Game 7...but I never saw one call make a bigger difference than this one. Watching sports since 1975.
Kinda obscure call with no film on it to date. 1972 Oakland scored the winning run on a blown call at 1st base easily worse than this one.against the tigers in the 5th game of a 5 game series to determine the A.L. champs. oakland went on to win the world series.
1975? If you were following sports in 1975, then you should have known about the Interference Call that was never called in the 1975 World Series on Ed Armbrister.
In Game 3 of the 1975 World Series played at Cincinnati, Armbrister bunted the ball and got in the way of Boston Red Sox Catcher Carlton Fisk who was trying to quickly pick it up and throw the ball to Second. Because of that, Fisk threw the ball wildly to Second while the runner went to 3rd.
No interference by Armbrister…. Fisk nearly ran him over as he tried to start running to first….
It took the wind out of their sails
I was born in ‘75 and only 10 years old in my gramma’s den watching this game and I remember it was at that moment that I realized that life wasn’t fair.
Get it right buddy. You were selected to work in the World Series for a reason.
It's not like they pulled some 17 year old kid from the local rec league to umpire a world series game. These are highly trained professionals that do this for a living. Denkinger was a veteran ump. Your suppose to get those calls right.
Dumb Denkinger. Cost the Cards a ring
@@seanleblancdualca WRONG! Orta never scored...the Cardinals choked over a simple missed call...they then dropped a foul pop fly and made horrible pitching location decisions
@@seanleblancdualca yeah because he was responsible for them losing 11-0 in game 7. The bad call was terrible but they still had game 7 to play.
Royals fans since 1970. And I’m here to tell you, despite how happy I was about this back then (bad calls happen was the saying back then, and I’d seen enough go against my teams), I knew it laid the case for replay in the future.
Tell Frank white he ain't getting that stadium after raising my property tax 300% and lowering his 11% public record still a liar.
I saw this live on TV as a 12 year old and even then I knew he was out.
I was )11 ..I think was around the o started swearing ...my step father cam our den in said it's just game son ...lol
I was 11 ..this was when I started swearing ...lol
I was nine and knew he was out
I was listening to the game with the clock radio under the pillow. I was shocked when the the Royals won the game. I tiptoed to my brother's room to tell him. He already knew, because he too was listening to the game with the clock radio under the pillow.
Hey Joe I was 12 watching it too. Obviously out but so glad he was safe!
After this game, The Head of Umpires went over to Don Denkinger and told him that he blew this call. In looking carefully at this play, he knew that Jorge Orta was out!
I grew up close to St. Louis, so I was a Cardinal fan. In 1985 I lived in Memphis and was dating a girl (who I would eventually marry, unfortunately) whose family was from KC. So this WS was particularly fun for me and her family. After game 7 and the Royals had their first World Championship, I was at her house and her big brother was taunting me. I said something like, "Well, if not for the ump calling a guy safe at first when he was clearly out, then the Royals would still be without a ring." His response was to break into a sly smile and say, "He wasn't out! Didn't you see the ump, he did this..." at which time he did the "safe" gesture. I laugh about it now, but it was troubling back then.
I wonder what he said when the Royals beat the mets 30 years later?
Well to be fair, it's impossible to win an argument against an idiot.
He was safe. Empire was right. You see just racist.
What a troll hahaha
Sounds like a Dbag.
The problem with this call is that your paid to get them right. The play was not even close. He was out by a comfortable margin and Denkinger had a great look at it. It makes you question his competency at the time.
Sanford Dennis I know, you got one job, that’s it, and he couldn’t do it. It’s really sad.
@Paul Kryder I agree and fair enough in real time it is different then slow mo. But your suppose to get those calls right. It was a fairly routine play. It's the World Series and your suppose to be the best.
@Paul Kryder And one more thing. Denkinger should have recused himself from game 7 or MLB should have removed him. He had become the story. That would have been the fair thing to do.
Sanford Dennis You’re correct. But umpiring is hard.
@@travismcdonald6576 Thanks for responding! It's the World Series so you expect the best ump crew and you expect them to get calls like that right. Even though it was a close play it was a routine play at first base that happens several times during a game. My problem with Denkinger and MLB is that they should have not allowed him to go behind the plate for the following game or Denkinger should have recused himself because he became the story.
The call was 100% incorrect but let’s be honest, in fast motion the play does appear to be a lot closer than it looks in slow motion. Still no excuse but in real time I think the call was more difficult to make than people are willing to admit.
If Replay Had Been Around in 1985 Then The Call Would Had Been Overturned!
That doesn't change the fact that he was wrong, wrong, wrong. And his mistake cost the Cardinals that game.
@@greeneggz_n_ham Yup and St Louis Fans Still Hate Don Years Later!
I could have called this guy out in my youth. An experienced ump should have had no problem, unless of course he had money on the Royals to win the series.
@@mpup54 That’s the exact point MLB doesn’t like brought up, you know some of the Cardinals players might have had that in the back of their minds. And he was an AL ump, plus he was home plate ump for game seven.
He missed the call on the first out. Not a scoring play. Not the end of the game. The Cards fell apart afterwards. That loss is on them, not one call.
Back in the days before replay, where an umpire's bad call could still cost a team the World Series.
Orta is called out at 3rd in the same inning making the call completely moot.
Except this didn't. Orta would ending up being the first and only out of that inning anyway. St. Louis messed up. Missing a pop fly, a past ball.
@@TheGeoScholar But look at it this way, if the correct call is made, it's now 1 out. And maybe they don't make those future plays and it goes down the way it usually does.
ralphus44
If they had Instant Replay in 1985 like we have it now, Jorge Orta would’ve been Out!
Instant replay would've fixed that bogus call, but the Series wasn't lost there...that was game 6. The Cards lost game 7...11-0!
Saw this live as a 10 year old. Was rooting hard for St Louis this series. Still annoying to this day to see the replay. The pathetic thing is that he had a perfect angle and still blew the call.
Yep. I hated the Royals. Still remember Denkinger’s name.
Now I couldn’t care less about pro sports.
@@Helo_rides_for_commies glad you haters suffered that night
@@Helo_rides_for_commies and yet here you are... watching replays from decades old baseball games. :D
This one crushed me as a kid.. watching the game with my Dad and I think I wanted them to win so badly because Dad loved the Cardinals so much and I loved seeing him so excited as when they won it all in '82. After growing up and seeing an interview with Denkinger on how hard that one call made his life and how so many people never forgave him (and even sent threatening letters to him), I realized how incredibly dumb it was to hold a grudge over a sporting event. Don was a big family/community guy and had a big heart for everyone he met. I saw Don in a whole different light and realized his entire career was overshadowed by one blown call.. an honest mistake he made in a split decision. He was always remorseful after the call and there are people who still don't forgive him. Seems so small and petty now. Don passed away earlier this year. I tip my cap to a consummate professional who lived a life of integrity and loved earnestly. He had a career of excellence. We should all be so lucky to leave such a legacy behind. May your soul soar, sir!
His "legacy" is stealing a WS and giving it to KC. Like yeah, he made a mistake in the call, but it was because he ignored the instruction in the MLB rulebook "Keep your eye everlastingly upon the ball". Like, don't get me wrong, he (and esp his family) shouldn't get death threats, but a WS definitely isn't small nor petty, he definitely didn't have a career of excellence, and I'd sure hope I didn't have a legacy as bad as his.
@@Alea-Iacta-Est47 His legacy would only be viewed that way by a petty and very small-minded person.
Says the retarded Royals fan.
even if instant replay did exist back then, you wouldn't need 70 different camera angels to fix that bullshit call
The Umps may have still called him safe. LOL
Legend has it that Denkinger is still looking for his Guide Dog today...
Whitey bought him a braille watch. (true story)
If MLB had replay in 1985 that call would have been overturned. However, another call in that game would have been overturned as well with Frank White at 2nd Base, he would have been called Safe and likely would have scored on a Pat Sheridan Single. This would have been the 1st out of a 1-1 game in the Bottom of the 9th.
What do you think I have been saying? Lol
so we start handing new prescription glasses to the umps?
Very good point.
Keep telling yourself that! Worst record MLB 2023 and need 3 billon dollar stadium. Can't fill the 1 they got and Chiefs are happy with Arrowhead stadium. Any response sore winner?
If they do overturn them, some seem to not be...
Anyone here to compare this call to the no pass interference call in the Saints game as the worst missed call ever?
YES! Saints fan and that missed call reminded me of this safe call! Just crazy man...
literally having this conversation as I type this. great call (you)
this i think is more bang bang than that call
Yes I did. I watched both of these games.
Nope
I think this has got to be the most impactful blown call in modern sports history.
Sometimes people forget when we can or can't think of something as a "given," when in reality it's a very simple idea, especially in sports. During any given play, we can only take what has happened up until that play as a given. At this point in time, it is not a given that Balboni hits the single. It is not a given that the Royals dunk in Game 7. It is not a given that Orta gets out later in the inning. At this point in time, we can only take as a given that it is a 1-0 game in the bottom of the 9th, and that this call radically changes the makeup of the rest of the inning. As others have mentioned, the infield would be placed differently, the pitcher would have a different mentality, and the psychological momentum of the game would be completely different.
However, the reason that this it he most impactful blown call is that it is the one where all of the "givens" bring the losing team closest to victory. Cards just need to get two more outs to win it all, an extremely achievable and relatively likely outcome. Even they fail at that the game could go to extras (so they could win), or if they lose here they could win Game 7 (because remember, if Orta gets called out then it is no longer a given that they lose Game 7). In looking at other popular candidates:
- Galarraga was an individual accomplishment, and also almost every baseball fan in the world unanimously gives him implicit credit for having pitched a perfect game. I would not be surprised if MLB officially credits him with a perfecto, but even if not: World Series is a team accomplishment (and literally what each team works towards each year), and the Cards will never be implicitly recognized as the '85 champs.
- The Saints call was more egregious, but it was in the NFC championship game. If it was in the final minutes of the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl then it would be comparable. But especially given the AFC winner is the Brady-Belichick Patriots, it is very likely the Saints lose anyways.
- Game 6 of the '02 WCF can't be boiled down to a single call, but still follows the same logic as the above, though admittedly the Kings would likely be favored in the Finals. Still, this wasn't even the last game of the WCF, let alone the Finals.
No other call changed momentum while a team was so close to closing the deal. That is what makes it the worst call ever.
Was the game tied at the time, with a runner on third, and this let in the winning run? No.
After Orta reached, did the Cardinals still have a chance to prevent the tying run from scoring? Yes.
After game six, was the series over? No.
Did umpiring cause the Cardinals to get outscored in game seven by 11 runs? No.
It was a bad call. Without a doubt. But the Cardinals fell apart.
I'd say the "Hand of God" Goal was more impactful. The entire British Empire hasn't been the same since.
@@MrApollonox I do agree it has more impact, so I guess what I meant is more of an impact in terms of a teams chance to win the title. Given that play was in quarters of the World Cup, they’re would’ve still needed to win semis and finals to win the World Cup.
But yes in terms of general cultural / sports impact that blown call might be #1 all time
@@dash_r_media you aggressively miss the point I’m making. I am saying that, of blown calls in sports history, this one likely had the greatest impact in terms of preventing a team from winning a title. I am guessing you didn’t even read my comment because I actually analyze almost every point you brought up. Legitimately pathetic retort
Absolutely. The significance and timing made it more impactful. No other examples I’ve seen cited match it.
What makes this is an easy call to miss is that the pitcher is running to cover the base as the ball arrives. On a normal play, an umpire is watching to see which of two events happen first - the ball hitting the glove or the runner’s foot touching the base. Here, the umpire is watching to see if the pitcher’s foot is on the base before the ball arrives, and also whether the ball beats the runner’s foot. The brain trying to observe the sequence of the three events in rapid succession is much harder than two.
He was MLB umpire not little league. If he couldn’t get that one right not only shouldn’t he be calling a World Series game, he shouldn’t be in the big leagues.
I was in Junior High and betting one of my teachers for this series win. I had St Louis, boy was she all smiles after game 6. Oh, she took the money after game 7 with no remorse. Chalk it up to learning hard gaming lessons early in life. When you watch this one, it looks like Don actually calls the runner safe before he even hits the bag!
amazing replay took 30 years after this to be used in MLB.
even as a Cub fan
I admit
the call was bullshit
I do however love the end result of this
Yeah enjoy your two World Series rings earned over one hundred years apart, loser
And I’m sure you love your one lonely championship in well over 100 years watching the Cubbies in a stadium
That should be condemned. Last time I was there they literally has affixed nets to catch falling concrete- only in Chicago! It’s always great to get a seat with a view obstructed by a metal pole right in front of you or the terrible aroma of stale Old Style and urine that populates the place. What a mess Chicago is. Thank God I moved years ago
That’s why we should have 12 titles (not including the ripple effect)
The Cozart play against the Marlins was still a considered out because the catcher blocked home, but this has no explanation. Just a blind af umpire lol
The play that instigated the current usage of replay reviews/challenges in today's game was the Armando Galarraga "perfect game that wasn't" (and though I am a lifelong, devoted Tiger fan who was watching that game, I think it could be argued that Joyce's call wasn't wrong, since it isn't an empirical fact that Jason Donald was out... the ball hit Galarraga's glove in time, but it appeared to be loosely moving in the instant after initial contact, arguably meaning that he hadn't secured the throw yet... think of it this way... if a throw hits a glove and pops up in the air, and then the fielder "re-catches" it, when is the batter out? The rulebook is not clear on this kind of thing. The language is vague. But anyway...), but if the technology was at the same stage in 1985, this video shows the play that would have been the cause for "replay" being implemented. Today, Angel Hernandez (most umpiring isn't good, but he is the epitome of how bad it is) is the reason that the next step is going to be taken, with the Wyatt Langford at bat being the specific trigger for the seemingly inevitable change. They are already doing it at AAA in test form, and most people are liking it.
Those of us who were watching at the time have this play seared into our ROM and can recall like it happened last night.
I don’t think Denkinger missed this call on purpose, but it has always bugged me as a baseball fan when the umpires can have an impact on a game, especially a critical World Series (with no consequences coming their way). The players should be the ones that win or lose the games, not the managers/coaches, and definately NOT the umpiring. Back in those days, who is to say an umpire couldn’t blatantly miss multiple calls against the same team in the same game and that have a significant impact on the game.
The passing of Don Denkinger today brought me here.. 😢
Same
Yet the horrible call stands.
@@sdsmt99So KC wins the world series, only grumpy old men are still 🍷 whining about this almost 40 years later
I was 13 years old and I STILL haven’t gotten over this awful call. The Cards were the best team in MLB in 1985!!
I was only 3 at the time of this call so obviously I do t remember it in the moment, but it still pisses me off to this day!
Rich, it's baseball. It's a sport. No one went to prison or got hurt. It's time to let it go. Sometimes the best team doesn't win it all. So the ump missed the call and allowed a runner on first. The Cards defense blew it after that. Missed the catch on Balboni's foul pop up. Porter gets crossed up and has a passed ball that erased the bad bunt and advanced the runners. The right fielder was playing too deep and couldn't get the winning run at the plate. The Cards botched it way more than the ump. And then they had another chance in game 7 and what happened? Oh it was the ump's tight strike zone someone said. He obviously had a tighter zone for the Cards than the Royals.
Who won ws all that matters
That’s pretty damned close. I’d say the call that took a perfect game away from a starting pitcher might be far worse.
Agreed Jason. Horrible call. No doubt. At least the Cardinals still had game 7 to “recover” from this fiasco and blew it.
1st base umpire, Denkinger, AL.. There's your problem.
Man you gotta feel for the guy though. You gotta know that nobody felt worse about that than he did and after started getting death threats and letters sent to his family for a good 5-8 years after that happened. Nobody deserved that.
Its unlikely there was any bias or compromise of loyalty due to which league he umpired in. He just made a mistake as we all do.
I always say the cardinals have 12 titles because don denkinger even now will admit he blew the call The cards were loaded and clearly a better team The royals wouldve came in 4th place back then! If they were in th he national league 12 rings for stl !
What about the NL ump that costed the Royals a run earlier in the game?
The second baseball games became televised, Major League Baseball should instituted replay. Saying Umps were right for 100 years is insane.
It looks a lot closer now than it did in '85. Just keep in mind that the 1st base umpire has to not only determine which foot hits the base first, he also has to watch for the ball reaching the glove. In real time, making an accurate call amid the crowd noise seems nearly impossible to me. The ump needs to be close to the bag, making it literally impossible to see both the base and the incoming ball at once. I'm from St. Louis (Cardinal fan of course) and saw the Cards' game fall apart after the bad call. Of course I was livid with anger at the time, but you can't expect humans to be computers - even the best of the human race makes mistakes.
Thank you for being an empathetic human instead of an irrational fan.
All you say is true. However, he is a professional umpire and is paid to have good judgment and be accurate especially on calls that are not hard to determine by replay.
so he shouldnt have been in better position to see the ball go in the glove then?
Umps will make bad calls, it happens, but man the runner was a good three feet from 1st base.
More like a good 7 feet idiot
Obviously out with replay but it was a close play that anybody could screw up in the moment. It's just unfortunate it was in such a big moment. It was a half step not whatever exaggerated amount some of you are saying.
The umpire thought the foot had come off the bag.
@Vincent Cuttolo Live my first reaction was that the foot had come off the bag. Replays shows that it hadn't, the toe was still on the bag. It was actually a close play too, the runner was out by about two feet.
Kind of a bad time to make a bad call this was a momentum changer kind of makes me think if they are able to replay a play and they can slowdown the play and see if he is out why wasn’t there booth review years ago to overturn the call I’m mean there’s clearly enough evidence to overturn also wonder if he was called out would the cardinals even win the game still
farewell Don and rest in peace because i know you never missed a call in your heart
This call and the Armando Galaragga blown imperfect game call leave me with two questions what were Don Denkinger (1985) and Jim Joyce (2011) looking at ? and how do you blow a call like that?
Both were in bad position and straight lined with no angle to see the ball ⚾️ go into the glove 🧤
@@jeffreyrobinson6628 it's there fault for being in bad position the cardinals one basically handed the championship to the royals
At least Jim Joyce was apologetic after blowing Armando Gallaraga’s Perfect Game on a 9th Inning Bad Call.
Did Don Denkinger show any remorse to The City of St. Louis for this Bad Call?
Jiltedin2007 yes he did he apologized
People like you deserve no apologies. St. Louis is "the best baseball town in America". Just ask them. But this guy blows a call, and you people send him death threats. Over a game. I hope St. Louis loses a bunch of WS from bad calls and they move the franchise out of town.
lol. Welcome to any major sports town. Even worse happened from Saints fans over the NFC championship game no call and Boston fans from the Buckner mistake. STL is no different than anywhere else in these instances
Lets not give Denkinger too much credit for owning up to his bad call. He really had no choice. It was plain as day! I always felt that the right thing for him to do was to recuse himself from calling balls and strikes behind the plate for game 7. That would have been a real display of character. However, as a StL native and life long fan, I take pride in the fact that STL has and always will be a far superior baseball franchise to Kansas City. Numbers don't lie.
Your right but even in foul territory he still should have got it right. Quick question! Back then was it customary for umps to stay in foul territory or move around to get a better angle. Did Denkiger just choose to stay in foul territory?
I Know Many St Louis Cardinals Fans Still Hate Don To This Day and If U Look at The Slo Mo on The Replay It's Without Question a Out!
He was out by a mile..smh
A mile? It's only 90 feet between bases.
@@vinyllpreviews9462 🤦🏽
If this blown call at first, happened In St.Louis , Instead Of Kansas City Mi? I await your response.
There was a bad call earlier in that game which benefitted the Cards but nobody in St. Louis wants to talk about that one.
@@MNsportsnut yep Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores so it probably should've been 1-1 in the 9th anyway
Why would the umpire call him safe?
1. He was 3 feet from the bag
2. The runner was clearly out
Obviously the umpire saw something we didn't to call him safe... I fail to understand what it was though. Or he is just a bad umpire.
The pitcher's foot was coming off the bag, it came off a split second after catching the ball. When he catches the ball only the toe is on the bag.
@@DanielSong39 he out
@@Pedroism Yes, he was on his toe as he caught the ball
He was not 3 feet from the bag... your just as bad as the ref. He was out but his foot was right above the plate.
John Edwards He was saying the ump was 3 feet from the bag so there’s no way he should have missed that.
That cost the Cards the series. I still bear the scars from this call.
What about the blown call that costed the Royals a run earlier that game? The Cardinals costed themselves that WS
Did the Don Denkinger call hurt them, absolutely, but I wouldn't out and out say that it cost them the 1985 World Series.
Keep in mind that in that World Series, were already behind the proverbial 8-ball with an injured Vince Coleman (their leadoff man, stolen base leader, and main ignitor) not being able to participate due to a freak leg injury that he suffered during the NLCS against the Dodgers.
It was also during this World Series that the Cardinals only had a .185 batting average. That's said to be the lowest team average in a seven-game long World Series until the New York Yankees' .183 batting average in the 2001 World Series.
What is crazy how much this really changed the perception of the Cards as the team of the 80's. They beat the Brewers in 82(?). They should have won this World Series and then lost to Twins in 87. They had some pretty bad luck. Losing Tudor to that Spring Training broken leg. And then in this series didn't Vince Coleman jack up his leg? And then Jack Clark getting hurt for the post season in 1987. Man tough luck Cards fan.
Unforgivable
He looked out.
Bad call? You bet. But the lousy calls that had the most impact on the series were the ball and strikes, especially when Saberhagen pitched.
Definitely brutal.
Bound to happen but what a rotten call that changed so much.
This cost the Cards a World Series and I'm a Red Sox fan.
wes holley there was a game 7 that they could’ve won and they didn’t. The Royals destroyed them
@@martymcnally1560 Even if the call is made correctly, the subsequent sequence of events would have led to a KC victory. Boo hoo.
Game 7 was a blast to watch.
Who cares what team you're a fan of, anybody could see this cost them the title
@@forman208That's true of anyone who can't take an objective look. The Cards were outplayed-game 7 is evidence of that. That one call wasn't the only one blown in the series, and they didn't all fall for the Royals.
Earlier this same game Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores should've been 1-1 in the 9th
Plus they were up 3-1 had 3 chances and blew it
Imagine Twitter existing back in 1985?
Imagine the World Wide Web alone existing back in 1985.
Your TWELVE time champion St. Louis Cardinals!
They winning in 2022 to get # 12??
Should be 13 already, that 87 team might have been the best of the 80's, took the Twins to 7 games WITHOUT JACK CLARK....unreal to lose your big bopper and still almost pull it off.
wild to think that after this the Royals carried the momentum into a World Series title
This call swung a world series. What's funny is that this was the worst Royals team of that 76-85 run, and the only one to win it and they won it like this. Baseball is so random in the playoffs. Best team rarely wins.
My father still rants about this call to this day.
I like him😃
0:07 Yep, totally blown. The ball got to the glove before the runner's foot hit the bag.
I was a HUGE Royals fan back then, and I HATED the Cardinals. That being said, the Cards TOTALLY got ripped off, even a blind man can see that! I'm glad that MLB now has replay.
Still hate the Cards. Still glad they lost. Great uniforms, though. 🙂
@@Stevez61 Yes, I really like the shade of blue that the Cards used on their road uniforms back then.
well, at least Brett got a ring . As a Card fan, it was tough enough to lose Vince Coleman in a freak accident with the tarp before the WS even started....
@@douglasmiller346 I grew up in Milwaukee. So as you can imagine, that's how we Brewer fans feel about the fact that we lost Rollie Fingers right before the 1982 playoffs, leaving us with bullpen pitchers that were nowhere near as qualified to be closers.
Your team has won many championships, while my Brewers are currently tied with the Padres as the two oldest teams never to win a W.S. (Both teams originally formed in 1969)
Today marks the 36th anniversary of one of the worst blown calls in BASEBALL history! We had the Series won but for this umpire error!
I Bet Your Still Mad About This Call Being a Cardinals Fan!
@@vinceniederman Troll lol
Earlier this same game Frank White was called out on a stolen base Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores so it probably should've been 1-1 to start the 9th anyway
Also Cards were up 3-1 they had 3 chances and blew them all
A good manager would have not dwelled on this call and settled the team down for game seven. They were obviously not prepared physically or emotionally for the decisive game and it showed.
I was a tough call for him because he didn't have a clear view of the incoming ball, the runner blocked the view. Crowd noise, he likely couldn't hear the ball hit the glove..and their feet were right together. Yeah watching the replay in real time and slow mo he's definitely out but these variables made it less than a routine play.
I was there at Royal Stadium when this call was made. Everyone in the stands knew it was a bad call.
Always bugged me how in real time it looked like he was calling himself before the ball got there.
That’s what I’ve always said, his arms were already in motion even before a ball hit a glove or a foot hit a base. And to add insult to injury, the two quick safe calls, followed by the third exaggerated call.
The Royals player involved in this call (Orta) was out at third later in this same inning and never scored. Also, the Cardinals dropped a pop up in foul territory and had a passed ball in this same inning. Additionally, if we want to be really fair talking about blown calls in this game, there was blown call against Frank White of the Royals in the 4th while stealing second that easily cost the Royals a run. Oh, and the Cardinals lost Game 7 by 11 runs. But yeah, it's all the umpires fault the Cardinals lost the 85 World Series. Yep.
if he had been out there would have been one out and the next batttter would have hit a single there was runners on first and second the man bunted IF he had been out runner on first could have grounded out to a dp the chances of him bunting with one runner on are very low cards should have won
Two blown calls leading to the loss of a run and the gain of a run. Kinda equalled out with the poor officiating. If you examing one bad call and play the what if game you gotta look at both.
PREACH
Orta was out on a fielder's choice, that's a very relevant fact. As is the fact that the fielder's choice was on a bunt attempt that likely wouldn't have been attempted if Orta had correctly been called out at first base.
Orta being out on this play would have changed the dynamic of the inning drastically. If there were no one on first, then both the Cardinals and the Royals would have played the inning differently, with a very real chance that the Cardinals could have got the next two batters out and became World Series champs. Instead they had to deal with a man on first, which changes the fielding dynamics, as well as the pitching strategy. These changes were enough to lead to the Royals winning, instead of the Cardinals potentially winning.
To this day, the umpire, Don Denkinger has always said he made the right call. His eyes were on the bag and saw Saberhagen's toes lift off just enough to see space between cleat and 1st base. It was hard to see on video as pitchers foot was squarely on bag to receive the toss from Clark before this happened. Years later even Saberhagen got around to admitting his foot lifted just enough at wrong time.
Saberhagen didn’t play for the birds my friend.
What???!
Years later, still saying the same thing, "oof." Even real-time in 1985 he looked out by more than a half-step.
Orta was out then and he's out now!!
That Was Close in Slow Motion on The replay!
Does anyone else ever wonder if these umpires have money riding on the games and any close call they can swing it in their favor every time. Especially the home plate umpire. I’d wager that many games are decided by an umpires bets
I don't doubt it one bit.
@@greeneggz_n_ham And I'll lay you 50-1 odds that when Jerry Meals let the Braves have it over the Pirates in Atlanta in the bottom of that 19-inning epic (calling the Braves runner safe when he was clearly out), he had bets on Atlanta against the Pirates, and just wanted it to be over so he could go home.
He was definitely out. For 39 years, I'm still pissed about that lousy call.
This and the blown call for Gallaraga’s perfect game are the two worst calls in MLB history.
No excuses for missing that...however in real time with the helmet and cap flying by near the bag...Orta tripping over it, that likely caused a distraction for the ump and contributed to him missing the call. watching it on TV as it unfolded I thought safe too and was surprised on the replay at just how out he was.
It was an awkward looking play...but he was out.
Easy call to miss, the way the pitcher did that funky little dance. I couldn't call it at all on full-speed viewing...it was confusing.
Only if you are visually impaired.
So which blown call is worse: this one or the Galarraga perfect game in 2010?
This one cause it cost a team a World Series. No discredit to the Gallaraga one though, as it was still an important call, but when your whole season feels like it goes to waste because of a bad call, you know that one has to be worse.
Galarraga
@@StellarWishGaming2002 earlier this same game Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores so it probably should've been 1-1 in the 9th anyway
That would have been out #1, so there is no guarantee that the Royals would not have tied the game anyway. Cardinals did not show up in game 7 when they had a chance to make people forget this call. This does not compare to the Saints getting screwed in the playoffs in my opinion.
Probably should've been 1-1 to start the 9th
Earlier in the game Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores
Its not the same thing as a football team replaying a game, you have different starting pitchers and other key elements from game to game with lineups. No way the are the same.
That is the worst call ever. I watched in disbelief in 1985 as this guy called him safe. Thanks don. Glad you got paid to be an idiot.🤣
Only year in which there were really two World Series Champions.
No doubt the ball hit the glove well before the baserunner..question I thought was umpire might have thought foot was off bag when he caught it.I dont see how he called him safe..its not even close.
My only issue is was his foot off the bag when he caught it.
If Baseball had the same Instant Replay In 1985 like we have now, Jorge Orta would’ve been Called Out at First.
Duh.
Lets say Orta was called out. Balboni still singles, he gets pinch ran for. Sundberg bunts him to second, past ball and a single by Iorg ties the game and we the top of the lineup coming up.
It is called the ripple effect for a reason. One cannot be positive the same things happen if the call goes the Redbird's way. Confidence is a crazy thing as is momentum. I will give you this. Players are taught to shake it off when the calls go against you. The reason why is so you do not make it worse. One mistake or error can turn into other errors like the pitcher not being confident and calling a different pitch instead of one that the batter might have struggled with. The Redbirds were not able to shake it off and the Royals did a fantastic job of capitalizing on it. That is why they won the World Seris.
Space-Time Continuum says the events that followed wouldn’t have been the same.
@@Mark-sj3xb Baseball is a flat circle, man.
Earlier this same game Frank White was called out on a stolen base and Pat Sheridan singled he probably scores so it would've been 1-1 in the 9th
@@handheldnintendofan not necessarily...space time ripple effect. It took you 30 years to get a real world series win, you can just admit 1985 has a huge astrick.
Close Call Sports: “Looks good to us.”
Yes I watched it live I was 13 he was clearly out
This poor guy had to endure years of death threats against he and his family
Now you know why replay exists...
Not even close! Cost St Louis the World Series. Thank God for instant replay. Dekinger is blind as a bat!
Orta was actually the first out of that inning. Had game 7 in which they got kiled, and blew a 3-1 lead but somehow its all denkingers fault? Its just like Kerry Fraser and the Maple Leafs.
We don't know that the botched call cost the Cardinals the World Series, but we also don't know that it didn't.
And remember that year the Blue Jays got hosed against the Royals too by a bad call
I was there. Last row of the nosebleed seats down the left field line. He missed the tag.
what
He doesn't have to tag him. Geez, you're an idiot.
The worst part is that this ruined a legendary matchup people waited decades to see happen
SAFE BY A MILE
It's a cruel business. I'm sure that Denkinger was a fine ump and did his best to make the right call. Unfortunately, he didn't and it has overshadowed everything else that he did in his career.
Every time this video clip is shown it should by law be required to show Jack Clark booting an easy pop fly from Balboni that also would have won the game.
I used to think it was an easy pop up, but I just now went and watched it again in slow speed. The ball landed in the dugout, he might have caught it, but he probably would have had to dive into the dugout.
It was not as easy as you'd think with the old fenceless dugouts.
He was safe
Wow. Were those umpire uniforms designed by Bill Veeck, or Tony Manero ? ...lmao. 😂 0:20
How does Don Denkinger sleep at night
The worst call in history. Still astounds me to this day that Denkinger blew it so bad.
A lot of cardinals fans say that this call is the only reason they lost but he got out at third later that inning.
How is that possible if he was out at first?
@@teddyballgame406 sigh. He's saying if he didn't get out at first, he would have gotten out at third later.
Also Frank White should've had a stolen base earlier in the game and Pat Sheridan single probably scores him so it's probably 1-1 in the 9th
Also they were up 3-1 they had 3 games to finish them and choked
Sure on a fielder's choice that would have been an additional out somewhere else. The entire outcome of the inning was altered when the leadoff man reached base instead of being the first out.
As a Kansas City native/fan, I'm glad it went our way, but hate that it happened at all!
Remember that call Redbird fans?
Cardenales de San Luis... Equipo siempre guerrero.
i LOVED THIS CALL..
Troll lol
Bad calls are part of the game unfortunately
That call cost me my last sports bet.
I bet a guy that St Louis would win it in 5. Umpire gets the call right, I collect.
Don't panic, it wasn't huge amount of money ($20) but still.
This should not have happened.
This was game 6
Worst call in MLB World Series ever.
Agreed and If Social Media Was Around Can U Imagine Everyone on Twitter Going Crazy in 1985?
As a Life-long fan of the St Louis Cardinals that call is up there cause they were robbed of potentially winning the series if not for that blown call