Casey at the Bat

"Casey at the Bat" (subtitled "A Ballad of the Republic") is a poem on the subject of baseball, written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. It was first published in the San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888 but was popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances; Hopper gave the poem's first stage recitation on August 14, 1888 at New York's Wallack Theatre in the presence of the Chicago and New York baseball teams, the White Stockings and the Giants; August 14, 1888 was also Thayer's 25th birthday.

Premise and plot

The poem is about a baseball team from the fictional town of Mudville, who are losing during the last inning of a game but could win if they can last long enough to let "mighty Casey" get at bat. Casey, their star player, is beloved by the fans and so confident in his abilities that he doesn't swing at the first two pitches, both strikes. As a work the poem encapsulates much of the appeal of baseball, including the involvement of the crowd. Although not well known in its entirety, the last verse has attained something of the status of a classic.

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The last verse reads:

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:Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;

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:The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

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:And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

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:But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.

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Residents of Stockton, California have often claimed that Mudville was inspired by Stockton, and for the 2002 season, Stockton's California League team was named the Mudville Nine. (Since then, the team's name has reverted to the Stockton Ports.)

Related Topics:
Stockton, California - 2002 - California League - Stockton Ports

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Residents of Holliston, Massachusetts have made similar claims, and a rivalry of sorts has developed between the two cities over the location of the poem, if it was either. Thayer did in fact grow up in nearby Worcester, Massachusetts.

Related Topics:
Holliston, Massachusetts - Worcester, Massachusetts

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