Don Denkinger
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Donald Anton Denkinger (pronounced /ˈdɛŋkɨnˌdʒɝ/, born August 28, 1936 in Cedar Falls, Iowa) is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1998. In his final season, 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. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for a controversial call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series.
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[edit] Career
Denkinger attended Wartburg College, where he was on the wrestling team. He became interested in umpiring while serving in the Army from 1957 to 1959. He began umpiring in the minor leagues in 1960, joined the AL staff in April, 1969, and became an AL crew chief in 1977. In 1975, Denkinger was one of the first American League umpires to switch from the outside chest protector to the inside chest protector, which was used in the National League for decades before finally being adopted in the AL in the late 1970s. All umpires who entered the AL starting in 1977 had to use the inside protector; AL umpires on staff prior to 1977 were grandfathered and could continue to use the outside protector.
He umpired in four World Series: 1974, 1980, 1985 and 1991, serving as crew chief the latter two years. Denkinger also umpired in the All-Star Game in 1971, 1976 and 1987, calling balls and strikes for the last game. He officiated in six American League Championship Series (1972, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1988, 1992), serving as crew chief in 1975, 1988 and 1992, and in the 1981 and 1995 AL Division Series. He was the home plate umpire for the one-game playoff that decided the AL's Eastern Division champion in 1978; the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox.
He is one of seven umpires who have worked in two perfect games; he was the second-base umpire for Len Barker's perfect game on May 15, 1981, and the first-base umpire for Kenny Rogers' perfect game on July 28, 1994. He was also the home plate umpire for Nolan Ryan's sixth no-hitter on June 11, 1990.
Despite his long career, Denkinger is probably best remembered for a controversial call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series (see "The Call" below). Denkinger called Kansas City Royals player Jorge Orta safe at first; television replays showed that the throw had beaten Orta to the bag. The Royals went on to defeat the Cardinals and then win Game 7, becoming World Champions.
[edit] The Call
The widely discussed play in the 1985 World Series remains one of the most memorable moments in Series history. It was Game 6 (October 26), with the St. Louis Cardinals leading the Kansas City Royals 3 games to 2. The Cardinals had taken a 1-0 lead 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. Ironically, it was a blown call in the 4th inning that cost the Royals a potential run and put them in the hole when Frank White was mistakenly called out after stealing second, and the next batter, Pat Sheridan, got a hit. Todd Worrell was now in the game for the Cardinals in the 9th inning, facing Jorge Orta, the leadoff batter 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 instant replays and photographs clearly showed that he was out by half a step.
According to Denkinger, he got too close to the play, first looked at Worrell's glove, and then at Orta's foot a second later. Many Cardinals fans blamed the loss on Denkinger's call, but the Cardinals made a number of mistakes that enabled the Royals to stay in the game and win. In the next at-bat, Clark misplayed a foul pop-up by batter Steve Balboni. Instead of popping out, Balboni singled on the next pitch, and Onix Concepcion came in to pinch-run. With runners on first and second, Jim Sundberg then bunted into a force play at third. (It should be noted that the runner forced out at third was Orta.) Catcher Darrell Porter then allowed a passed ball, allowing the runners to advance to second and third. Pinch-hitter Hal McRae was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Dane Iorg knocked a bloop single to right that scored Concepcion and Sundberg, who avoided Porter's tag at the plate to score the winning run.
Shortly after the game, Denkinger found Commissioner Peter Ueberroth waiting for him in front of the umpires' room. Denkinger asked Ueberroth if he had gotten the call right. Ueberroth shook his head from side to side, and said, "No, you didn't."
- See also: 1985 World Series#Game 6
[edit] Game 7
As crew chief of the 1985 World Series umpiring unit, Denkinger was scheduled to work behind home plate umpire in Game 7, a fact that further upset the Cardinals and manager Whitey Herzog. Some observers suggested that the presence of Denkinger behind the plate affected the Cardinals' gameplay, as ace pitcher John Tudor got off to a terrible start, giving up five earned runs and four walks in only 2 1/3 innings. Tudor was so disgusted by his performance, that he subsuquently punched an electrical fan with his pitching hand. Todd Worrell would later compare the idea of Don Denkinger working behind home plate to putting a stick of dynamite back there and lighting it.
The Cardinals made their frustrations clear throughout the game. ABC television cameras caught Herzog screaming and belittling Denkinger from the Cardinals' dugout throughout the contest. Pitcher Joaquín Andújar exploded twice over Denkinger's calls at the plate during the 5th inning, finally being ejected with Herzog after a heated argument over Denkinger's strike zone. Herzog even went so far as to directly tell Denkinger that had he gotten "the call" right in Game 6, the Cardinals would not have been subjected to a seventh game in the first place. In the immediate aftermath of his meltdown, Andújar smashed a toilet in the Cardinals' clubhouse. This came after Tudor (out of frustration from his disastrous performance) punched an electric fan with his pitching hand, cutting it. The Cardinals completely self-destructed as Kansas City would go on to win Game 7 in an 11-0 blowout, taking home their first and only World Series Trophy.
[edit] Life after The Call
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 to find a police car in the driveway of his Waterloo, Iowa, home. Denkinger claimed that the letters continued on through 1987 (before Denkinger got into contact with Major League Baseball Security, who in turn contacted the FBI), when the Cardinals were ramping up for another World Series appearance. The breaking point for Denkinger was when he received a particularly menacing letter (with no return address) in which the writer tells that if he sees Denkinger in person, he would "blow him away" with a .357 Magnum.
Ironically, the strongest part of his career likely followed the 1985 events; two years later, he was behind the plate for the All-Star Game, and he was again named crew chief for the 1988 ALCS, 1991 World Series, and 1992 ALCS. He is one of only four umpires to have been selected as crew chief for the ALCS three times.
More than 20 years after the fateful events in Kansas City in October 1985, Denkinger has regularly appeared at sports memorabilia shows (including ones in St. Louis) willing to autograph photos depicting "The Call." Denkinger even owns a painting featuring himself, Todd Worrell, and Jorge Orta involved in the play, claiming that he keeps it to remind himself that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. In September 2005, he was a guest speaker at a 20th anniversary dinner celebrating the Cardinals' 1985 team, benefiting the Whitey Herzog Youth Foundation.
[edit] External links
- BaseballLibrary.com - profile and list of articles
- St. Louis Sports Online: "Hey! Somebody's Gotta Like the Guy..." - 1998 article on Denkinger's retirement, defending his career
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