He and his wife, Gayle Price, had three daughters, Darcel Nikolajsen, Denise Hanson, and Dana Kelly.
Denkinger was also the home plate umpire for Nolan Ryan's sixth no-hitter on June 11, 1990.
The St. Louis Cardinals led the Kansas City Royals by 3 games to 2 and had taken a 1–0 lead in the eighth inning.
Denkinger called Orta safe, even though instant replays (not used by officials for play review until 2008) and photographs clearly showed that he was out by half a step.
[13] Denkinger believed he had made the right call until he later met with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth after the game and had the opportunity to see the replay himself.
[6] As crew chief of the 1985 World Series umpiring unit, Denkinger was scheduled to work behind home plate in Game 7, a fact that further upset the Cardinals and manager Whitey Herzog.
[16] In the immediate aftermath of the 1985 World Series, Denkinger received many hateful letters, including death threats, from Cardinals fans.
[17] Denkinger claimed that the letters continued on through 1987, when the Cardinals were ramping up for another World Series appearance, this time against the Minnesota Twins.
[20] More than 20 years after the 1985 series, Denkinger regularly appeared at sports memorabilia shows (including ones in St. Louis) willing to autograph photos depicting "The Call".