October 26, 1985: Jesse James Rides Again

<p>In this bonus episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball, we bring you PlayBacks, an audio series that brings to life the archives of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.</p> <p>Don Denkinger didn’t have the cushion of an instant-replay review on that October night when the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning at Royals Stadium, just three outs away from the championship.</p> <p>Pinch-hitter Jorge Orta led off with a slow bouncer to the right side. First baseman Jack Clark ranged wide to field the ball and flipped a high throw to reliever Todd Worrell covering the bag.</p> <p>Orta was still in the air on his final stride when the ball beat him by a half-step. Denkinger recounted he was standing too close to the play — by the time he saw Worrell catch the ball and looked down, Orta’s foot was on the base. Denkinger ruled him safe.</p> <p>“I wish I would’ve gotten it right,” he said. “But I didn’t.”</p> <p>The rest, as Denkinger said, is part of baseball lore.</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>