A Look at the 1985 Kansas City Royals

Kansas City. The largest city in the Show Me State. A population of just over half of a million people, almost double that of St. Louis. Yet when it comes to sports, KC has often been the little brother to St. Louis. In the NFL, Kansas City did win the battle of Missouri, but only because St. Louis lost two franchises while the Chiefs went on to become a dynasty. St. Louis did have the Hawks in the NBA before the team moved to Atlanta, and the NHL's Blues serve as the state's lone team, and won a Stanley Cup in 2019.

The only main sport where the two cities do co-exist is baseball, as Kansas City and St. Louis have had franchises, on-and-off, for nearly 70 years. At one point. St. Louis had the Cardinals and Browns, while KC's first foray into MLB came when the Athletics left Philadelphia and moved to KC in 1955--playing 13 seasons before moving to Oakland in 1968. A year later in 1969, MLB returned to Kansas City with the Royals, one of four expansion teams to debut that year. Their first seven years weren't too shabby, as they finished in second place in the newly formed American League West three of those times. Their first postseason came in 1976, when they won their first of three straight AL West titles, but the result was the same: losing the pennant to the New York Yankees. They would finally solve the Yankees in 1980 to win their first pennant, but could not topple the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 1985, the Royals were coming off another division title, and another failed run, as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Royals en route to their 1984 championship. The Royals were once again led by the legendary George Brett--he of the famous "pine tar incident"--and in 1985, Brett hit .335 with 30 home runs and 112 RBIs. Brett's 30 HRs did not lead the team, as Steve Balboni took that mantle with 36 homers. Longtime stalwart Willie Wilson led the team in stolen bases with 43, while Lonnie Smith (who was part of the 1980 Phillies team who defeated the Royals) was close behind with 40 stolen bases.

The Royals' rotation was the stuff of legends, led by Bret Saberhagen and his 20-6 record, complete with a 2.87 ERA and 158 strikeouts. Saberhagen led in strikeouts and wins, but the ERA leader on the team was Charlie Leibrandt with 2.69. The rest of the rotation was rounded out by Danny Jackson, Bud Black, and a name that's very familiar to SoCal fans: Mark Gubicza--the current in-game color analyst for the Los Angeles Angels.

The Royals slightly improved from their previous season, finishing 91-71 and winning the AL West by just one game over the then-named California Angels. 1985 brought a slight change to the postseason format, as the League Championship Series was extended to the current best-of-seven format after being played under a best-of-five format for the first 16 seasons (1969-1984). Regarding the Royals, they faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays, who were in the postseason for the first time in their franchise history (the Blue Jays debuted in 1977). The Jays had the home field advantage, and it showed, as they won the first two games of the series. The Royals needed a comeback to win Game Three, but they lost Game Four thanks to a ninth inning that saw Toronto score three runs to win it.

The Royals needed a miracle to win their second pennant in franchise history. Danny Jackson shutting out the Jays in Game Five was a start, but the Royals would still need to win twice up north in Canada. The first-ever ALCS Game Six ended up going the Royals' way, and the first-ever ALCS Game Seven did as well, with a four-run sixth inning leading the Royals to their second American League pennant.

It's fitting that I mentioned the battle of Missouri, because the Royals faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1985 World Series. This was the second "Show Me" World Series in history; the first was 1944's Fall Classic between the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns. Despite being 10 games worse than the Cards, the Royals had home-field advantage because it was the American League's turn to have that honor. Unfortunately for the Royals, they had to start from behind again, as KC lost the first two games in their own park. The Royals did win Game Three, 6-1, at Busch Stadium, but they were shut out in Game Four. So just like in the ALCS, the Royals were down 3-1 and had their backs to the wall, but they would take Game Five to earn a chance to complete the comeback at home.

And then, there was Game Six.

Every baseball expert, historian, and fan knows this moment. Game Six was a pitcher's duel, with the Cardinals up 1-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cards were three wins away from popping the champagne, and they had their closer, Todd Worrell, on the mound. Jorge Orta led off the bottom half of the ninth inning. A chopping grounder was hit to Jack Clark, who tossed the ball to Worrell. The throw beat Orta to first, yet despite this, Orta was called safe.

Who made the call, you ask?

This man, who really--and I mean really--needed a friend and needed one for a long time, is Don Denkinger. He had spent 30 seasons as an umpire in the American League (this was back when the American and National Leagues each had their own umpires), but Game Six of the 1985 World Series would serve as the moment that would follow him for the rest of his life. Denkinger made that call at first base, deeming Orta safe when all sorts of replays showed Orta was out by a step. Denkinger's view of Worrell's glove was hampered by the running Orta, and that led to the missed call. Needless to say, Worrell was livid, as was Cards' skipper Whitey Herzog, but the call stood. Orta was safe.

So instead of the Cardinals being two outs away from a championship with the bases empty, it was still no outs in the bottom of the ninth, and the tying run was on first. Here's what happened, bit-by-bit. Steve Balboni, after fouling a ball that was missed by Clark, singled. First and second, no outs. Onix Concepcion pinch-ran for Balboni. Jim Sundburg's attempt at a sac bunt resulted in Worrell tossing out Orta at third. First and second, one out. A passed ball advanced the runners, so both the game-tying and the game-winning runs were on scoring position. Hal McRae was intentionally walked to load the bases, and hope for a double play that would clinch a championship for the Cards. Dane Iorg, who was part of the 1982 Cardinals championship team, entered as a pinch hitter and singled to right field, driving in both runs.

The Royals won, 2-1, to force Game Seven, another home game. So the Cardinals had a chance to strike back in response to that chaotic ninth inning. All they had to do was win once more at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, and that blown call would be a thing of the past.

Nope. It was all Royals that night. Bret Saberhagen was lights out. The Royals hit everything. An 11-0 drubbing of their in-state foes, clinching the Royals' first World Championship.

The Royals clinched their first World Championship on October 27, 1985, and for the city of Kansas City as a whole, it was their second overall pro sports championship after the Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl IV. Bret Saberhagen was named as the World Series MVP, going 2-0 and only giving up one run overall in the Series. Now, I know this story is supposed to be about the Royals winning, but let's talk about the Cardinals during their Game Seven drubbing. As the game--and the Series--was getting away from them, the team turned their anger towards Don Denkinger, who was the plate umpire in Game Seven. After the score became 10-0, Whitey Herzog was heard screaming at Denkinger, "We wouldn't even be here if you hadn't missed the fucking call last night!" Denkinger's response:

"Well, if you guys weren't hitting .120 in this World Series, we wouldn't be here."

The Cardinals lost their minds during that game, and it got worse, as Cards fans sent death threats and hateful letters to Denkinger after that Series. So yeah, reacting in horrid fashion is a St. Louis sports tradition. Denkinger retired in 1998, and he passed away on May 12, 2023 at the age of 86.

The Royals struck a huge blow in the battle of Missouri, taking the Fall Classic from the hallowed Cardinals. No, it was not given to them by that call. The call only affected Game Six. Game Seven was all Royals. As great as 1985 was, it would be a long time until they would reach the postseason. 29 years, to be exact. That year, 2014, saw them come within a win of their second championship, which they would capture a year later in 2015. However, as the saying goes, "You always remember your first," and KC's first World Series title is definitely unforgettable.