30 greatest World Series in MLB history
30. St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals, 1985
The 1985 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals featured several blowouts, but it also featured some close contests.
Two of the games were decided in the ninth inning, though only one of them remains engrained in the minds of baseball historians.
In Game 6, the Royals chances were diminishing as they heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. They trailed in the series 3-2, and were facing a 1-0 deficit with a reliable reliever in Todd Worrell on the mound.
Pinch hitter Jorge Orta dribbled a ground ball to first base. Jack Clark charged the ball and tossed it to Worrell at first base, beating the runner by half a step. First base umpire Don Denkinger blew the call, however, and awarded Orta an infield single.
The call did not decide the game, although that is what Cardinals fans remember most vividly. In reality, it was primarily of their own doing that doomed St. Louis in that fateful Game 6. After the infamous call at first to start the inning, Worrell gave up a hit and allowed a passed ball, before Dane Iorg connected on a two-run walk-off single.
Kansas City capitalized on the momentum, winning Game 7 by a score of 11-0 and picking up the first World Series title in franchise history. The Royals would not make the playoffs for 19 years after 1985, when they lost the 2014 World Series to the San Francisco Giants in seven games.
Next: 29. Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago Cubs, 1945