What Sports Event Upset You the Most? Tommy Rocker Remembers His

It was October 26, 1985 game six of the I-70 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were up 3 games to 2 coming into the game, which a pitcher's duel unfolded between Danny Cox and Charlie Leibrandt, there was no score for seven innings. In the eighth, Brian Harper singled home Terry Pendleton to give the Cardinals the lead. Then in the bottom of the ninth heartbreak hit Cardinal Nation.

Whitey Herzog, the Cardinal Manager, called on rookie reliever Todd Worrell to pitch the ninth. The first batter, Jorge Orta, sent a routine bouncer to Jack Clark. He tossed to Worrell, who tagged the bag ahead of Orta, but umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe.

Are you kidding me!! My whole house erupted as the call was made. How in the world could Don Denkinger have missed that call? The Cardinals did argue the call but Denkinger wouldn’t reverse it. Later in his book “You're Missing A Great Game", Herzog wrote that he later wished he had asked Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, who was in attendance, to overrule the call and declare Orta out. If Ueberroth had refused to do so, Herzog would have pulled his team from the field and forfeited the game.

The Royals would get one more runner on and where able to get them both home to win the game and tie the series at 3 games. In game 7 the Royals would knock the cover off the ball and become the first team ever to win the World Series after dropping Games 1 and 2 at home. That is the my worst sports call ever, what’s yours?