The year was 1985. Reagan was President. Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. was flying off the shelves. And umpire Don Denkinger was manning first base in the sixth game of the World Series, a Show-Me State showdown between the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals, on Oct. 26. The Cardinals were leading the series, 3 games to 2, and had a 1-0 lead going into the ninth inning. Things were looking up for the red birds, with the title just three outs away. That is, until Royals batter Jorge Orta stepped into the box. He hit a ground ball, and Denkinger called him safe at first base. Replays would later show that Orta was clearly pipped to the post. But that call proved to be a turning point: the Royals went on to win that game and the series. Denkinger went on to receive hate mail from Cardinals fans—and to ump for another 13 seasons.
The Most Controversial Game Endings in Sports
A much-debated call by replacement referees brought Monday Night Football's Packers-Seahawks game to one of the craziest closes in modern sports. But there have been plenty of others.