Baseball games embody the true spirit of athletic competition, a captivating dance of skill, strategy, and raw human emotion. Yet, within this intricate ballet, there exists a unique tension: the demand for perfection often clashes with the undeniable fallibility of human judgment. Umpires, the arbiters of the game, are essential to its very fabric, but just like the players, they aren’t infallible. This inherent conflict has, on numerous occasions, woven moments of profound controversy into the sport’s most hallowed event: the World Series.
Just as jazz improvisation hits unexpected notes that change the entire melody, a single bad call from an umpire can transform the outcome of iconic games, forever altering baseball history. These aren’t just minor missteps; they are seismic events that have reshaped legacies, sparked furious debates, and left an indelible mark on players, teams, and generations of passionate fans. Every pitch, every slide, every tag carries the weight of history, and when an umpire’s decision deviates from what the eye — or later, replay — clearly shows, the reverberations can last for decades.
Ready for some baseball drama? We’re taking a deep dive into some of the most hotly contested calls made by umpires on the game’s biggest stage. These are the moments when the human element of officiating cast a long shadow, prompting fervent arguments about fairness, the rulebook’s nuances, and the persistent question of how much human error we’re willing to accept in a sport that constantly demands perfection. These are the calls that didn’t just decide a game; they became central characters in the World Series narrative, demonstrating how umpire decisions can, and have, determined championships.
1. **Don Denkinger’s Game 6 Shocker (1985 World Series)**Perhaps baseball’s most infamous blown call occurred in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, a moment etched into the collective memory of Cardinals fans as a true sporting tragedy. With the St. Louis Cardinals holding a 3-2 series lead and just one out away from securing the championship, tensions were already incredibly high. The score was a tight 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, making every single play critical.
Royals batter Jorge Orta hit a ground ball to first baseman Jack Clark, who cleanly fielded it and flipped to pitcher Todd Worrell, covering first base. The play seemed routine, an easy final out. However, first base umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe, despite replays clearly showing he was out by at least half a step. This single mistake affected everything thereafter, akin to adding salt to your coffee instead of sugar—instantly transforming the entire experience.
The controverted call instantly ignited a Royals rally. Fuelled by this unexpected lifeline, Kansas City managed to score two runs, ultimately winning Game 6 by a score of 2-1. The momentum swung dramatically, and the Royals, invigorated by their Game 6 escape, went on to dominate Game 7 with an 11-0 victory, claiming the championship title.
Don Denkinger, unfortunately, received death threats in the aftermath, a stark reminder of the passion and fury these decisions can evoke. He continued his career but later acknowledged his mistake, cementing this incident as the quintessential example of how umpiring decisions can, indeed, determine championships. For Cardinals fans, “Denkinger” remains a four-letter word, a painful reminder of a World Series that slipped away due to a human error at the most crucial juncture.
2. **Ron Gant’s Phantom Lift (1991 World Series)**Game 2 of the 1991 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins featured a call by first base umpire Drew Coble that continues to infuriate Braves fans to this day. The game was tied 2-2 in the third inning when Atlanta’s Ron Gant singled to left field, reaching first base. What happened next became one of the most talked-about plays in World Series history.
As Gant returned to first base, Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek appeared to physically lift him off the bag in a wrestling-style move. It was a clear and aggressive maneuver designed to separate Gant from the base. Despite replays showing Hrbek’s questionable tactics, Coble called Gant out, a decision that left many bewildered. The move would make even The Rock raise an eyebrow, as the physical interaction was undeniable.
The immediate impact on Game 2 was palpable. The Twins went on to win that game 3-2, a narrow margin where one base runner’s fate could have easily shifted the outcome. The controversial call added fuel to an already intense series, with the Twins ultimately claiming the World Series championship in seven thrilling games.
Such was the lasting impact and sheer audacity of the play that the Twins later installed a bronze statue of Hrbek lifting Gant outside Target Field. This architectural-level trolling serves as a permanent, albeit cheeky, reminder of the incident, ensuring the controversy lives on as vividly as the day it happened, a moment Braves fans are guaranteed never to forget.
3. **Jackie Robinson’s Controversial Slide (1955 World Series)**The opening game of the 1955 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers set an immediate tone of drama and debate with a pivotal call at home plate. In the top of the eighth inning, with the Yankees leading 6-4, a runner on third, and two outs, baseball icon Jackie Robinson made a daring dash for home plate in an attempted steal.
Robinson appeared to slide directly into the glove of Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, who was positioned in front of home plate. This was long before the advent of multiple camera angles and instant replay reviews that would meticulously dissect such a close play. In a split-second decision, home plate umpire Bill Summers called the Dodgers’ daredevil safe, igniting immediate protest and discussion.
The call stood, adding a crucial run for the Dodgers, who were battling to narrow the Yankees’ lead. While the Yankees ultimately won that particular game 6-5, the memory of Robinson’s controversial slide became an iconic image. The debate over whether he was truly safe or out has persisted through the decades, symbolizing the razor-thin margins that often define World Series moments.
The enduring legacy of this play is vividly captured at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, where a photo of the epic moment is prominently displayed. Yogi Berra himself, the gracious host, never missed an opportunity to playfully declare “Yer out!” whenever he walked past it, highlighting how such a seemingly small moment can create a lasting, engaging narrative that transcends the game itself.
4. **Bob Feller’s Denied Victory (1948 World Series)**Game 1 of the 1948 World Series unfolded with a controversial call that would deny legendary Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller what would have been his only World Series victory. In a scoreless, tense bottom of the eighth inning, with two outs and runners on first and second for the Boston Braves, the game was on a knife-edge, with every single play magnified.
Indians starter Bob Feller, known as “Rapid Robert” for his blazing fastball, attempted a critical pickoff play at second base. He threw to shortstop-manager Lou Boudreau, who had strategically cut in behind the pinch-runner Phil Masi. The throw was well-timed, and Masi appeared to be out by a clear margin, caught off the bag.
However, umpire Bill Stewart ruled that Masi had beaten the throw, calling him safe at second. The gaffe was immediate and glaring. This incorrect decision, likened to someone claiming to hit a bullseye while their dart landed in an entirely different room, kept the inning alive for the Braves, providing them with an unearned opportunity to score.
The very next batter, Tommy Holmes, capitalized on the extended inning by hitting an opposite-field single that plated the only run of the game. The Braves won 1-0, and Bob Feller was tragically deprived of a World Series victory, a harsh blow for a pitcher of his caliber. The injustice was further cemented when, one day later, Associated Press photos confirmed the gaffe, leaving no doubt about the incorrectness of the umpire’s call and its profound impact on a Hall of Famer’s career.
5. **Bill Miller’s Big, Inconsistent Strike Zone (2017 World Series Game 5)**The 2017 World Series was already a roller coaster of emotions, a true heavyweight clash between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros that delivered drama in spades. But in the pivotal Game 5, which stood tied 4-4 in the top of the fifth inning with runners on first and second for the Dodgers, home plate umpire Bill Miller inserted himself into the narrative in a way that left fans scratching their heads and Dodgers batters utterly bewildered. His strike zone became the undisputed star of the show, expanding and contracting with a mystifying inconsistency that could rival a chameleon changing its colors in broad daylight.
Miller, who had accumulated the most called third strikes (151) that season, somehow managed to outdo his own reputation in this high-stakes contest. Throughout the game, a staggering dozen angry, confused, and sometimes even amused Dodgers batters struck out, with seven of them left standing with bats on their shoulders, utterly flummoxed by pitches that appeared well outside the established strike zone. One of the most glaring examples involved Kiké Hernández, who visibly turned away from a Collin McHugh curveball that might have clipped his left leg, only to hear the dreaded “Stee-rike three!” call echo through Minute Maid Park.
This wide-ranging, unpredictable strike zone undeniably had a profound impact on the game’s flow and overall outcome. While it created frustration for hitters, it also contributed to the incredibly high-scoring affair. The teams combined for an astounding 16 extra-base hits in what turned into a five-hour, 17-minute slugfest, a testament to both explosive offense and an environment where pitching consistency was constantly under threat. The Astros ultimately edged out a 13-12 victory, a narrow margin where every pitch, every call, became magnified, tilting the series’ momentum.
Looking back, you could almost argue Miller’s erratic performance inadvertently added to the legend of that game. Without his “assistance,” the epic battle might never have stretched into such a marathon of offense, cementing its place as one of the most memorable—and controversial—World Series contests in recent memory. For Dodgers fans, however, it remains a bitter pill, a painful reminder of a championship opportunity potentially hampered by the man in blue.
6. **Ron Kulpa Makes a Bad First Impression (2011 World Series Game 3)**Stepping onto the World Series stage for the very first time is a moment etched into an umpire’s career forever, a chance to be part of baseball immortality. For Ron Kulpa, his inaugural Fall Classic assignment in Game 3 of the 2011 series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers unfortunately became memorable for all the wrong reasons. Early in the game, with the Cardinals clinging to a slim 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning and a runner on first with one out, Kulpa made a pivotal call at first base that would haunt the Rangers and ignite a Cardinals rally.
The critical play unfolded when St. Louis Cardinals runner Matt Holliday, who had reached base, attempted to advance. Texas Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli applied a tag that, by all accounts and subsequent replays, appeared to catch Holliday clearly off the bag. It was a textbook defensive play, a moment that should have resulted in an out and, potentially, the completion of a crucial double play to extinguish the Cardinals’ threat. However, in a split-second decision that defied the visual evidence, umpire Kulpa erroneously ruled that Holliday was safe on the bag.
This single, incorrect call functioned as a massive gift to the Cardinals, effectively negating what should have been an apparent double play and keeping the inning alive. With this unexpected reprieve, the Cardinals seized the momentum, unleashing an offensive barrage that saw them score four critical runs in that very inning. This surge propelled them to an early 2-1 series lead, fundamentally shifting the psychological landscape of the championship showdown. The Rangers, who went on to lose that game by a lopsided score of 16-7, could only lament the opportunity lost, a momentum killer.
To his credit, Kulpa later fessed up to the mistake, an admission that offered little comfort to the Rangers but underscored the immense pressure umpires face in such high-stakes environments. His candid “Mea culpa” cemented the incident as a prime example of human error directly influencing a World Series outcome, fueling ongoing discussions about officiating integrity and the potential for technological aids. For fans and players alike, it served as a stark reminder of how a single misjudgment in baseball’s grandest theater can swing the fortunes of an entire championship.
7. **Ken Burkhart Sparks World Series Controversy (1970 World Series Game 1)**When we talk about controversial World Series calls, most discussions revolve around missed tags, phantom outs, or blown strike zones. But Game 1 of the 1970 World Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Reds delivered a truly unique brand of umpiring chaos, a situation so bizarre it almost beggars belief. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with the score tied 3-3 and just one out, home plate umpire Ken Burkhart initiated a sequence of events that would become legendary for its sheer absurdity, creating a controversy that set the tone for the entire series.
The peculiar play began when Reds hitter Ty Cline sent a chopper in front of home plate. What followed was a chain reaction of unfortunate events, primarily instigated by Burkhart himself. The umpire not only falsely anticipated that Orioles catcher Elrod Hendricks would throw to first base but also compounded his error by stepping directly into the righty batter’s box. This ill-timed move inadvertently blocked Reds runner Bernie Carbo’s path to the plate, creating an obstruction that was as baffling as it was illegal.
But the drama didn’t end there, proving that sometimes, things can always get weirder. Amidst the chaos of the obstructed runner, Burkhart then called Carbo out after Hendricks tagged him with his glove. This ruling, however, had another layer of bizarre incorrectness: the ball was actually in Hendricks’ bare hand, not his glove. Imagine the scene: a runner blocked by the umpire, a tag made with an empty glove, and an out call still standing. It was an officiating triple-crown of questionable decisions, leaving everyone utterly incredulous.
This astonishing sequence of errors had an immediate and palpable impact on Game 1. The controversy undeniably set a contentious tone for what should have been a closely fought championship series. The Orioles, benefiting from the bizarre call, ultimately edged out a narrow 4-3 victory in that game, taking an early psychological advantage. While the Reds would fight valiantly, the Orioles went on to win the series in five games, leaving many to wonder how much the Game 1 misadventures truly affected the Reds’ morale and overall performance.
Almost 50 years later, the legend of this incident persists, with the vivid memory of Carbo never truly touching the plate, and the ball never truly touching him. It’s a classic example of human error evolving into a lasting narrative, showcasing how truly unprecedented umpiring decisions can carve out a unique, enduring place in the annals of baseball history. This particular call stands as a testament to the fact that sometimes, the most controversial moments aren’t just about blown calls, but about an entire sequence of events that defy logic.
The World Series, baseball’s ultimate stage, consistently delivers unforgettable moments, and as we’ve journeyed through some of the most hotly contested umpire decisions, one undeniable truth emerges: the human element, for all its charm and unpredictability, remains a double-edged sword. From phantom tags to expanding strike zones and even umpires inadvertently blocking runners, these calls have done more than just decide games; they’ve sparked impassioned debates, fueled rivalries, and etched themselves into the very fabric of baseball lore. These moments serve as stark reminders of the immense pressure on officials and the razor-thin margins that often distinguish victory from defeat. While technology continues to advance, the narrative woven by human judgment, for better or worse, continues to define baseball’s most iconic controversies, ensuring that discussions about fairness and the integrity of the game will forever echo in the grandstands and beyond.
