Don Denkinger worked as an MLB umpire from 1969 to 1998 and is infamous for blowing a call at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series between St. Louis and Kansas City, yet even he calls the umpiring in this year’s playoffs “kind of a disaster.”
In an interview with Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record, Denkinger criticized the many blown calls we’ve seen throughout the playoffs and questioned commissioner Bud Selig’s reluctance to expand instant replay:
I’m in favor of getting all the calls correct, whatever it takes. I don’t see how he can get away with not [expanding instant replay]. It makes no sense not to. There’s nothing better than getting every call right. …
The way the game used to be played, what [the rulings were] just stood. But now there’s so much technology out there that can tell you if you’re right or wrong, why not use it? Why not have a guy in the booth who can review the play and get a ruling in 20 seconds? I don’t think anyone wants to see the game delayed any more than it is … but I think everyone wants to get the calls right. That’s the scenario every umpire thinks about.
And no one better understands the fallout from a blown call in the postseason.
