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{{short description|American baseball player (born 1950)}}

'''Dane Iorg''' (Born [[May 11]], [[1950]] in [[Eureka, California]]) is a retired [[Major League Baseball]] [[infielder]] and [[outfielder]]. He played for ten seasons ([[1977 in baseball|1977]] - [[1986 in baseball|1986]]) for four teams, including eight seasons for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. His surname is pronounced "orge", to rhyme with "gorge".

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Dane Iorg

|image=Dane Iorg Cardinals.jpg

|position=[[Outfielder]] / [[First baseman]]

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1950|5|11}}

|birth_place=[[Eureka, California]], U.S.

|bats=Left

|throws=Right

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 9

|debutyear=1977

|debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=October 4

|finalyear=1986

|finalteam=San Diego Padres

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]

|stat1value=.276

|stat2label=[[Home run]]s

|stat2value=14

|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]

|stat3value=216

|teams=

* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1977}})

* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1977}}–{{mlby|1984}})

* [[Kansas City Royals]] ({{mlby|1984}}–{{mlby|1985}})

* [[San Diego Padres]] ({{mlby|1986}})

|highlights=

* 2× [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1982}}, {{wsy|1985}})

}}

'''Dane Charles Iorg''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɔr|dʒ}} {{respell|ORJ|'}}; born May 11, 1950)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dane Iorg Stats, Fantasy & News|url=https://www.mlb.com/player/dane-iorg-116396|access-date=2020-11-12|website=MLB.com|language=en}}</ref> is an American former professional [[baseball]] [[first baseman]] and [[outfielder]], who played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) from ({{by|1977}}–{{by|1986}}) for four teams, including eight seasons spent with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. While playing for the [[Kansas City Royals]], Iorg produced the game-winning hit in Game 6 of the [[1985 World Series]]. His brother [[Garth Iorg|Garth]] also played in MLB.

==Baseball career==

Iorg is perhaps best known for his game-winning hit in game 6 of the [[1985 World Series]] as a member of the [[Kansas City Royals]] against his old team, St. Louis (which led the series three games to two at the time). While this game is best remembered for first base umpire [[Don Denkinger]]'s controversial "safe" call of Royals hitter [[Jorge Orta]] on a ground ball to lead off the bottom of the ninth, Iorg batted later in the inning with one out, runners on second and third base and the Royals still trailing 1-0. [[ABC Network]]'s [[Al Michaels]] had the call:

Iorg was born in [[Eureka, California]], and he grew up in the nearby town of [[Blue Lake, California|Blue Lake]].<ref name="Edes">{{cite news|last1=Edes|first1=Gordon|title=Eureka!--Though for Iorg, it's Blue Lake : Game 6 star has come long way from his window-breaking days|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-10-27-sp-12903-story.html|access-date=September 5, 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=27 October 1985}}</ref> He graduated from [[Arcata High School]], in [[Arcata, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/iorgda01.shtml|title=Dane Iorg|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=20 September 2012}}</ref> He began his playing career with the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] in April 1977, but by that June the club traded him along with outfielder [[Rick Bosetti]] and pitcher [[Tom Underwood]] to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder [[Bake McBride]] and pitcher [[Steve Waterbury]].

[[File:DaneIorg1983.jpg |thumb|left|120px|Iorg in 1983 with the Cardinals]]

"And that's a looper hit into right field for a base hit! (Onix) [[Concepcion]] scores. Here comes (Jim) [[Sundberg]], here's the throw. HE SCORES! We go to a seventh!"

During the strike-shortened 1981 season, he led the Cardinals with a .327 batting-average.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Jim Tommey and Kip Ingle|year=1987|title=St. Louis Cardinals 1987 Media Guide|publisher=St. Louis National Baseball Club|pages=153}}</ref> In the [[1982 World Series]], Iorg played for the Cardinals, primarily as their World Series [[designated hitter]] (the entire 1982 World Series was played under American League rules) and batted .529 with 9 hits in 17 at -bats as the Cardinals defeated the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] in seven games. On July 15, 1984, the Cardinals sold Iorg to the [[Kansas City Royals]].

Iorg is perhaps best known for his game-winning hit in gameGame 6 of the [[1985 World Series]] as a member of the [[Kansas City Royals]] against his old team, St. Louis. (whichThe hit came during one of only two at-bats that Iorg received during the series. The Cardinals had led the series three games to two atbefore theGame time).6; While thisthe game is best remembered for first -base umpire [[Don Denkinger]]'s controversial "safe" call of Royals hitter [[Jorge Orta]] on a ground ball to lead off the bottom of the ninth,. Iorg batted later in the inning with one out, runnersand onthe secondbases andloaded. thirdThe baseRoyals andtrailed, the1–0, Royalsuntil stillIorg's trailingsingle 1-0.allowed [[ABCOnix NetworkConcepción]]'s and [[AlJim MichaelsSundberg]] hadto thescore. call:The Royals went on to win Game 7, 11–0, and give Kansas City their first [[1985 World Series|World Series]] championship.

The Royals went on to win game seven 11-0 and give Kansas City their only [[World Series]] championship, as the Cardinals clearly had not recovered from the ninth inning of game six. However Iorg's heroics would go largely overlooked due to a number of factors.

==Personal life==

- Denkinger's call overshadowed the winning hit, as it drew the ire of many Cardinals and baseball fans alike. Denkinger to this day receives death threats over the call at first base, which ABC replays (and Al Michaels himself over the air, boldly proclaiming "Oh, I don't think there's any doubt about it!") confirmed was incorrect

Several members of the Iorg family have played collegiate or professional baseball. Dane's brother [[Garth Iorg|Garth]] played for the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] and coached for the [[Milwaukee Brewers]]. The brothers played against each other in the [[1985 American League Championship Series]]. Iorg's son Seth played baseball for [[Brigham Young University|BYU]] in 2004 and 2005, as did his son Court, who played for the school in 2015 and 2016.<ref name="Court">{{cite web|title=Court Iorg|url=http://byucougars.com/athlete/m-baseball/court-iorg|publisher=[[Brigham Young University]]|access-date=September 5, 2016}}</ref>

- The series (also known as the I-70 series because of it being in the state of Missouri and the one interstate linked both cities) was between [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] and [[St. Louis]]: two small midwestern markets, and thus was lacking in mass national appeal

-Many criticized the '85 Series as being a boring one up to that point, despite having a dramatic 4 run Cardinal comeback on the road in the 9th inning of game 2 (they trailed by 2). The low-scoring, pitching dominated series was not catching the fancy of much of the viewing public.

- The [[1986 World Series]] unfolded in an eerily identical fashion as the previous year, from the road team winning the first two games but losing the series to a similar game six comeback by a home team facing elimination in its final at bat and subsequent game seven victory by that same team. However in this case the two teams were the [[New York Mets]] and [[Boston Red Sox]], two much larger markets. The drama and media exposure of the 86 Series nearly eclipsed its counterpart of the previous year

==References==

Iorg was primarily a pinch hitter during the 1985 World Series, and his winning hit was one of only two at-bats he had for the entire series.

{{reflist}}

==External links==

In the [[1982 World Series]], Iorg played for the Cardinals, primarily as their World Series [[designated hitter]] (the entire 1982 World Series was played under American League rules) and batted .529 with 9 hits in 17 at bats as the Cardinals defeated the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] in seven games.

{{baseballstats|mlb=116396|espn=189|br=i/iorgda01|fangraphs=1006267|brm=iorg--001dan|retro=I/Piorgd001}}

*[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=iorgda01 Dane Iorg] at Baseball Almanac

{{1982 St. Louis Cardinals}}

While baseball has a well-documented tradition of little-known players delivering game-winning hits to determine [[pennant races]] and [[postseason series]], from [[Bucky Dent]] to [[Gene Larkin]] to [[Francisco Cabrera]] to [[Aaron Boone]], Iorg's hit in game six was as dramatic as any of the aforementioned, yet rarely garners any of the same attention from fans, media or even [[Major League Baseball]] itself.

{{1985 Kansas City Royals}}

==External links==

*{{baseball-reference|id=i/iorgda01}}

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:1950 births|Iorg, Dane]]}}

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[[Category:MajorLiving league players from California|Iorg, Danepeople]]

[[Category:Sportspeople from Eureka, California]]

[[Category:1982 St. Louis Cardinals World Series Championship Team|Iorg, Dane]]

[[Category:1985Baseball Kansasplayers Cityfrom RoyalsHumboldt World Series Championship Team|IorgCounty, DaneCalifornia]]

[[Category:St.Philadelphia Louis CardinalsPhillies players|Iorg, Dane]]

[[Category:KansasSt. CityLouis RoyalsCardinals players|Iorg, Dane]]

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