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KC Royals Throwback Thursday: Luck Of The Irish

By Scott Dillon

Baseball: World Series: St. Louis Cardinals Todd Worrell (38) upset with umpire Don Denkinger (11) after making safe call at 1st base vs Kansas City Royals. Denkinger called Royals Jorge Orta (3) safe at first. View of Cardinals Tom Herr (28). Game 6. Kansas City, MO 10/26/1985 CREDIT: Richard Mackson (Photo by Richard Mackson /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X32248 TK6 )
Baseball: World Series: St. Louis Cardinals Todd Worrell (38) upset with umpire Don Denkinger (11) after making safe call at 1st base vs Kansas City Royals. Denkinger called Royals Jorge Orta (3) safe at first. View of Cardinals Tom Herr (28). Game 6. Kansas City, MO 10/26/1985 CREDIT: Richard Mackson (Photo by Richard Mackson /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X32248 TK6 ) /
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In honor of St. Patrick’s day and the luck of the Irish, let’s relive one of the luckiest plays in KC Royals history: The Don Denkinger call.

The KC Royals are no strangers to working some kind of magic when it comes to the postseason. Long before they started staging four-run rallies and maneuvering easy ground balls just beyond gloves, the Royals ran into one of the luckiest calls they could ever receive.

Entering game six of the 1985 World Series, the Cardinals had a 3-2 series advantage over the Royals. The Royals had to win or their season was over. Again, Royals’ fans are all to familiar with what happens when you put the Royals in a do or die situation.

When Todd Worrell entered the game for the Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Cardinals held a one run lead over the KC Royals. What happened next can only be described as lucky, even if ‘luck of the Irish’ didn’t have anything to do with it.

The luck didn’t run out for Kansas City after the blown call. Steve Balboni hit a pop-fly that should have been caught in foul territory, but Jack Clark and Darrell Porter heard each others’ footsteps and lost the ball. It’s not the last time that a missed opportunity on a pop-up opened the door for the Royals.

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While that play wouldn’t happen for another 30 years, it’s refreshing to know that the Royals have maintained their postseason magic.

Getting back to 1985, Jim Sundberg would try to move the runners over but the Cardinals would get the force out at third base. With Hal McRae at the plate, the Royals run of game six luck wasn’t over yet.

Darrell Porter let a ball get away from him that should have been caught. That allowed the runners on first and second to move up a base and put the winning run on second base. They would finish McRae’s at bat with an intentional walk.

With the bases loaded and one out, Dane Iorg came in as a pinch hitter in the pitcher’s spot. Iorg was clutch in big moments in his career though he never really played the role of ‘everyday starter’. He batted .522 in his playoff career which is pretty great for a career .276 hitter during the regular season.

He sent a looping single into right field that scored the tying and go-ahead runs for a walk off victory. Dane Iorg was the 1985 version of Christian Colon for the Royals.

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The Royals went on to win the 1985 World Series by blowing out the Cardinals in game seven. Don Denkinger became notorious for this one call and it will always be the thing he’s most known for. What turned out to be one of the unluckiest plays for the Cardinals turned into one of the Royals’ best memories.

So what do you think KC Royals’ fans? What are some of your favorite Royals’ good luck moments? My personal favorite was the Morales chopper that got by Carlos Correa. “Off Correa! On into center Field! The Royals have tied it in the eighth!” are words that will always bring joy to Royals’ fans and haunt Astros’ fans. Let me know some of your favorite moments in the comments’ section below.

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