Longtime umpire Don Denkinger dies at age of 86

FILE - St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog, left, is ejected by home plate umpire Don... — FILE - St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog, left, is ejected by home plate umpire Don Denkinger, center, during Game 7 of the baseball team's World Series against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 27, 1985. At right is Royals' Jim Sundberg. The umpires ordered Ranger Tom Paciorek back to third in the dispute and Valentine protested the game. Denkinger, a major league umpire for three decades whose blown call in the 1985 World Series overshadowed a three-decade career of excellence, died Friday, May 12, 2023. He was 86.(Joe Ledford | AP Photo/Joe Ledford)

Published: May. 12, 2023 at 7:32 PM CDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - It may have been the worst call of his career, but it helped the Royals survive Game 6 of the 1985 World Series!

We’ve just learned that longtime umpire Don Denkinger has died.

It’s not totally his fault the St. Louis Cardinals lost that series; they unraveled after the bad call.

Denkinger was 86 years old.

CBS Sports reported that no cause of death has been provided yet.

“Denkinger umpired 3,824 regular season MLB games, with his last full season coming in 1993, before retiring in 1998,” CBS Sports wrote.

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