Don Denkinger, Umpire Whose Stellar Career Was Overshadowed by Blown Call, Dead at 86

Don Denkinger, Umpire Whose Stellar Career Was Overshadowed by Blown Call, Dead at 86
St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog (L) is ejected by home plate umpire Don Denkinger (C) during Game 7 of the baseball team's World Series against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 27, 1985. Joe Ledford/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

NEW YORK—Don Denkinger, a major league umpire for three decades whose blown call in the 1985 World Series overshadowed a career of excellence, died Friday. He was 86.

Denkinger died at Cedar Valley Hospice in Waterloo, Iowa, Denise Hanson, one of his three daughters, said.