Editing Casey at the Bat

{{short description|1888 baseball poem by Ernest Thayer}}
{{About|the poem}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
[[File:Casey at the Bat in The Daily Examiner - June 3, 1888.jpg|thumb|"Casey at the Bat" as it first appeared, June 3, 1888]]
"'''Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888'''" is a [[mock-heroic]] poem written in 1888 by [[Ernest Thayer]]. It was first published in ''[[The San Francisco Examiner]]'' (then called ''The Daily Examiner'') on June 3, 1888, under the [[pen name]] "Phin", based on Thayer's college nickname, "Phinney".<ref name="Gardner" /> Featuring a dramatic narrative about a [[baseball]] game, the poem was later popularized by [[DeWolf Hopper]] in many [[vaudeville]] performances.<ref>{{cite web|title=Casey at the Bat|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_case.shtml|website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref><ref name=catbird>{{cite web|last1=Armenti|first1=Peter|title=The First Publication of "Casey at the Bat"|url=http://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2013/06/the-first-publication-of-casey-at-the-bat/|website=From the Catbird Seat|publisher=Library of Congress|date=June 4, 2013}}</ref> It has become one of the best-known poems in [[American literature]].

==Synopsis==
A baseball team from the fictional town of "Mudville" (the home team) is losing by two [[Run (baseball)|runs]] in its last inning. Both the team and its fans, a crowd of 5,000, believe that they can win if Casey, Mudville's star player, gets to bat. However, Casey is scheduled to be the fifth batter of the inning, and the first two batters (Cooney and Barrows) fail to get on base. The next two batters (Flynn and Jimmy Blake) are perceived to be weak hitters with little chance of reaching base to allow Casey a chance to bat.

Surprisingly, Flynn hits a single, and Blake follows with a double that allows Flynn to reach third base.  Both runners are now in [[scoring position]] and Casey represents the potential winning run. Casey is so sure of his abilities that he does not swing at the first two pitches, both called strikes. On the last pitch, the overconfident Casey [[Strikeout|strikes out swinging]], ending the game and sending the crowd home unhappy.

==Text==
{{Listen
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The text is filled with references to baseball as it was in 1888, which in many ways is not far removed from today's version. As a work, the poem encapsulates much of the appeal of baseball, including the involvement of the crowd. It also has a fair amount of baseball jargon that can pose challenges for the uninitiated.

This is the complete poem as it originally appeared in ''[[The San Francisco Examiner|The Daily Examiner]]''. After publication, various versions with minor changes were produced.

{{Quote_box
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|quote=No one imagines that 'Casey' is great in the sense that the poetry of [[Shakespeare]] or [[Dante]] is great; a comic [[ballad]] obviously must be judged by different standards. One doesn’t criticize a slice of superb apple pie because it fails to taste like [[Crepe Suzette|crepes suzette]]. Thayer was only trying to write a comic ballad, with clanking rhymes and a vigorous beat, that could be read quickly, understood at once, and laughed at by any newspaper reader who knew baseball. Somehow, in harmony with the curious laws of humor and popular taste, he managed to produce the [[United States|nation]]'s best-known piece of [[comic verse]]—a ballad that began a native [[legend]] as colorful and permanent as that of [[Johnny Appleseed]] or [[Paul Bunyan]].|author=Martin Gardner|source=[[American Heritage (magazine)|''American Heritage'']]<ref name=Gardner>{{cite journal|last=Gardner|first=Martin|title=Casey At The Bat|journal=American Heritage|date=October 1967|volume=18|issue=6|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/content/casey-bat|access-date=20 October 2012}}</ref>}}{{poemquote|
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
the score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
a sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
they thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that –
they'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
and the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake,
so upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
for there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
and Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball;
and when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
there was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
it rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
it knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
for Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
there was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
no stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
and Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped—
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
and it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
he stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
he signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
but Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said: "Strike two."

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and Echo answered "fraud!";
but one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
and they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
he pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
and now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
but there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.}}

==Inspiration==
Thayer said he chose the name "Casey" after a non-player of Irish ancestry he once knew named Daniel H. Casey;<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Donnell|first1=Edward T.|title=The Origins of the Mighty Casey|url=http://inthepastlane.com/the-mighty-casey-turns-125/|access-date=August 6, 2020|work=In The Past Lane}}</ref><ref>[In fact Philadelphia ballplayer Daniel Casey had been stuck out while playing the New York Giants team in 1887. See https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19350430&printsec=frontpage&hl=en Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 30, 1935 page 18 "Mighty Casey was Pitcher But weak at Bat".]</ref> it is open to debate whom, if anyone, he modeled the character after. It has been reported that Thayer's best friend [[Samuel Winslow]], who played baseball at [[Harvard University|Harvard]], was the inspiration for Casey.<ref>{{cite news|title=Casey at the Bat|url=http://www.joslinhall.com/casey_at_the_bat.htm|access-date=June 3, 2017|publisher=Joslin Hall}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gardner|first1=Martin|title=Casey At The Bat|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/content/casey-bat|access-date=June 3, 2017|journal=American Heritage|date=October 1967 |volume=18|issue=6|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Canale|first1=Larry|title=Casey Might Have Struck Out, But Related Memorabilia Does Not|url=http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/mudville-still-no-joy/|access-date=June 3, 2017|work=Sports Collectors Digest|date=November 6, 2012}}</ref>

Another classmate of Thayer at Harvard—[[Edward Terry Sanford]]—also has been put forward as a possible model for Casey, in part on the ground that Thayer and Sanford were both members of a student group at Harvard (the OK Society) that played some baseball in the mid-1880s. Sanford would go on to a distinguished career in the law, culminating in his appointment to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in 1923.<ref>Ross E. Davies, ''Casey at the Bat and the Supreme Court'' (Green Bag Press 2024), chapter 6.</ref>

Another candidate is National League player [[King Kelly|Mike "King" Kelly]], who became famous when [[History of the Boston Braves|Boston]] paid [[History of the Chicago Cubs|Chicago]] a record $10,000 for him. He had a personality that fans liked to cheer or jeer. After the 1887 season, Kelly went on a playing tour to San Francisco. Thayer, who wrote "Casey" in 1888, covered the San Francisco leg for the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]''.

Thayer, in a letter he wrote in 1905, mentions Kelly as showing "impudence" in claiming to have written the poem. The author of the 2004 definitive biography of Kelly—which included a close tracking of his vaudeville career—did not find Kelly claiming to have been the author.<ref name=rosenberg>{{cite book|last=Rosenberg|first=Howard W.|title= Cap Anson 2: The Theatrical and Kingly Mike Kelly: U.S. Team Sport's First Media Sensation and Baseball's Original Casey at the Bat|publisher=Tile Books|year=2004|isbn=0-9725574-1-5}}</ref>{{rp|9}}

==Composition and publication history==
"Casey at the Bat" was first published in ''[[The San Francisco Examiner|The Daily Examiner]]'' on  June 3, 1888.

A month after the poem was published, it was reprinted as "Kelly at the Bat" in the ''New York Sporting Times''.<ref>{{cite web
  | title = Ernest Lawrence Thayer and "Casey at the Bat"
  | publisher = Joslin Hall Rare Books News List
  | url = http://www.joslinhall.com/casey_at_the_bat.htm
  | access-date = June 2, 2009}}</ref>
Aside from omitting the first five verses, the only changes from the original are substitutions of Kelly for Casey, and [[Boston]] for Mudville.<ref name=moore>{{cite book|last1=Moore|first1=Jim|last2=Vermilyea|first2=Natalie|title=Ernest Thayer's "Casey at the bat" : background and characters of baseball's most famous poem|date=1994|publisher=McFarland & Co.|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=9780899509976|page=[https://archive.org/details/ernestthayerscas0000moor/page/2 2]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/ernestthayerscas0000moor/page/2}}</ref> [[King Kelly]], then of the [[History of the Boston Braves|Boston Beaneaters]], was one of baseball's two biggest stars at the time (along with [[Cap Anson]]).{{r|rosenberg|page1=9}}

In 1897, the magazine ''[[Current Literature]]'' noted the two versions and said, "The locality, as originally given, is Mudville, not Boston; the latter was substituted to give the poem local color."<ref>{{cite journal|title=Casey at the Bat|journal=Current Literature|date=February 1897|volume=21|issue=2|page=129|url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951000902843q;view=1up;seq=147}}</ref>

==Live performances==
[[Image:Dewolfhopper1.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|1909 theatrical poster with DeWolf Hopper in A Matinee Idol]]
[[DeWolf Hopper]] gave the poem's first stage [[recitation]] on August 14, 1888, at [[New York City|New York's]] [[Wallack Theatre]] as part of the [[comic opera]] ''[[Prinz Methusalem]]'' in the presence of the Chicago [[Chicago White Stockings (1870–1889)|White Stockings]] and New York [[New York Giants (baseball)|Giants]] baseball teams; August 14, 1888 was also Thayer's 25th birthday. Hopper became known as an orator of the poem, and recited it more than 10,000 times (by his count—some tabulations are as much as four times higher) before his death.<ref name=Gardner />
{{Quote_box
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|quote="It is as perfect an [[epitome]] of our national game today as it was when every player drank his coffee from a [[mustache cup]]. There are one or more Caseys in every [[Baseball league|league]], [[Bush league|bush]] or big, and there is no day in the playing season that this same supreme [[tragedy]], as stark as [[Aristophanes]] for the moment, does not befall on some field."<ref name=Gardner />}}
On stage in the early 1890s, baseball star Kelly recited the original "Casey" a few dozen times and not the parody. For example, in a review in 1893 of a variety show he was in, the ''Indianapolis News'' said, "Many who attended the performance had heard of Kelly's singing and his reciting, and many had heard De Wolf Hopper recite 'Casey at the Bat' in his inimitable way. Kelly recited this in a sing-song, school-boy fashion."  Upon Kelly's death, a writer would say he gained "considerable notoriety by his ludicrous rendition of 'Casey at the Bat,' with which he concluded his 'turn' [act] at each performance."{{r|rosenberg|page1=229}}

During the 1980s, the magic/comedy team [[Penn & Teller]] performed a version of "Casey at the Bat" with Teller (the "silent" partner) struggling to escape a [[straitjacket]] while suspended upside-down over a platform of sharp steel spikes. The set-up was that [[Penn Jillette]] would leap off his chair upon finishing the poem, releasing the rope which supported Teller, and send Teller to a gruesome death if Teller had failed to free himself by that time. Jillette enhanced the drama of the performance by drastically accelerating the pace of his recital after the first few stanzas, greatly reducing the time that Teller had left to work free from his bonds.

==Recordings==
{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2017}}
{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage=[[File:2014DworskyKeillor.jpg|210px]] | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwylSCS-OP4 Casey at the Bat], version by [[Garrison Keillor]] with [[Rich Dworsky]], [[Prairie Home Companion]], 5:29, July 14, 2013 }}

The first recorded version of "Casey at the Bat" was made by [[Russell Hunting]], speaking in a broad Irish accent, in 1893; an [http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder5348 1898 cylinder recording of the text made for the Columbia Graphophone label by Hunting] can be accessed from the [[Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project]] at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] Library.

[[DeWolf Hopper]]'s more famous recorded recitation was released in October 1906.

In 1946, [[Walt Disney]] released a recording of the narration of the poem by [[Jerry Colonna (entertainer)|Jerry Colonna]], which accompanied the studio's [[animated cartoon]] adaptation of the poem (see below).

In 1973, the [[Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra]] commissioned its former Composer-in-Residence, [[Frank Proto]], to create a work to feature Baseball Hall-of-Famer [[Johnny Bench]] with the orchestra. The result "Casey At The Bat – an American Folk Tale for Narrator and Orchestra" was an immediate hit and recorded by Bench and the orchestra. It has since been performed more than 800 times by nearly every major and Metropolitan orchestra in the U.S. and Canada.

In 1980, baseball pitcher [[Tug McGraw]] recorded ''Casey at The Bat—an American Folk Tale for Narrator and Orchestra'' by [[Frank Proto]] with [[Peter Nero]] and the [[Philly Pops]].

In 1996, actor [[James Earl Jones]] recorded the poem with arranger/composer [[Steven Reineke]] and the [[Cincinnati Pops Orchestra]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Casey At The Bat|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2lXQQcXb8| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903053112/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2lXQQcXb8| archive-date=2012-09-03 | url-status=dead|work=Casey at the Bat – James Earl Jones|publisher=YouTube|access-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>1998 CD: Play Ball!  – Erich Kunzel – Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Recorded 1996 with Arranger/Composer Steven Reineke and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (insert credits) – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000064U5</ref>

On a 1997 CD set with memorable moments and stories from the game of baseball titled ''Take Me Out to the Ball Game'' produced by Jerry Hoffman and Douglas Duer, a [[Vincent Price]] oration of the poem is a slightly altered version of the original.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsSVmYy2vI|title = Casey at the Bat (Voice)|website = [[YouTube]]| date=September 14, 2015 }}</ref>

In 1998, actor [[Sir Derek Jacobi]] recorded the poem with composer/arranger [[Randol Alan Bass]] and the National Symphony of London, with the composer conducting. This work, titled "Casey at the Bat", has been recorded by the Boston Pops Orchestra, Keith Lockhart conducting.<ref>{{cite web|title=Casey at the Bat|website = [[YouTube]]| date=August 29, 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VqpfOXGAyI| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211124/8VqpfOXGAyI| archive-date=2021-11-24 | url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In 2013, [[Dave Jageler]] and [[Charlie Slowes]], both radio announcers for the [[Washington Nationals]], each made recordings of the poem for the [[Library of Congress]] to mark the 125th anniversary of its first publication.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Osterberg|first1=Gayle|title=A Special Recording to Celebrate Casey's 125th|url=http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2013/06/a-special-recording-to-celebrate-caseys-125th/|website=Library of Congress Blog|date=June 3, 2013}}</ref>

==Mudville==
A rivalry of sorts has developed between two cities claiming to be the Mudville described in the poem.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Zezima|first1=Katie|title=Mudville Journal; In 'Casey' Rhubarb, 2 Cities Cry 'Foul!'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/31/us/mudville-journal-in-casey-rhubarb-2-cities-cry-foul.html|work=New York Times|date=March 31, 2004}}</ref>
[[Image:Holliston-mudville-casey-statue.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Holliston, Massachusetts – Mudville Village, Statue and Plaque Dedicated to "Casey" of "Casey at the Bat"]] [[Image:Holliston-mudville-welcome-sign.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Holliston, Massachusetts – Mudville Village, Welcome Sign]]
Residents of [[Holliston, Massachusetts]], where there is a neighborhood called Mudville, claim it as the Mudville described in the poem. Thayer grew up in nearby [[Worcester, Massachusetts]], where he wrote the poem in 1888; his family owned a wool mill less than {{convert|1|mi|abbr=on}} from Mudville's baseball field.

However, residents of [[Stockton, California]]—which was known for a time as Mudville prior to incorporation in 1850—also lay claim to being the inspiration for the poem. In 1887, Thayer covered baseball for ''[[The San Francisco Examiner|The Daily Examiner]]''—owned by his Harvard classmate [[William Randolph Hearst]]—and is said to have covered the local [[California League]] team, the [[Stockton Ports]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.milb.com/stockton/news/flashback-friday-casey-at-the-bat-and-stockton-s-unique-baseball-history |title=Flashback Friday: "Casey at the Bat" and Stockton's Unique Baseball History |last=Henden |first=Alec |date=April 24, 2020 |website=Stockton Ports |publisher=Minor League Baseball |access-date=August 20, 2023}}</ref> For the [[1902 in baseball|1902 season]], after the poem became popular, Stockton's team was renamed the Mudville Nine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2015/6/11/8743589/a-brief-history-of-the-stockton-mariners |title=
A brief history of the Stockton Mariners |last=Varela |first=Ashley |date=June 11, 2015 |website=Lookout Landing |publisher=SBNation |access-date=August 20, 2023}}</ref> The team reverted to the Mudville Nine moniker for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. The [[Visalia Rawhide]], another California League team, currently keeps Mudville alive playing in Mudville jerseys on June&nbsp;3 each year.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Despite the towns' rival claims, Thayer himself told the ''[[Syracuse Post-Standard]]'' that "the poem has no basis in fact."<ref name="Gardner" />

==Adaptations==
{{In popular culture|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Casey at the bat.jpg|thumb|upright|Tim Wiles, former Director of Research at the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] Library in [[Cooperstown]], frequently dresses as Casey to recite the poem.]]
The poem has been [[Literary adaptation|adapted]] to diverse types of media:

===Books===
*Ralph Andreano's 1965 book, ''No Joy in Mudville'', laments the death of heroes in modern baseball.
*In the book ''Faithful'' by Steward O'Nan and [[Stephen King]], describing the 2004 season of the Boston Red Sox, a chapter contributed by King is named "The Gloom is gone from Mudville".
*[[Wallace Tripp]] illustrated a popular 1978 book of the poem.
*[[Kurtis Scaletta]]'s 2009 children's novel, ''Mudville'', is about a town where it has been raining for 22 years, delaying a baseball game between two rival towns.

===Comics===
*[[Marvel Comics]] published a spoof in August 1969, in the 9th issue of ''[[Not Brand Echh]]'', featuring parodies of their popular heroes and villains, and the Bulk (parody of the [[Hulk]]) as Casey.
*[[DC Comics]]' series ''[[Fables (comics)|Fables]]'' from the [[Vertigo Comics]] imprint featured an adaptation titled "Out to the Ball Game", which features a similar baseball match, with Weyland Smith playing the part of Casey against a team of goblins.

===Film===
*In 1922, [[Lee De Forest]] recorded [[DeWolf Hopper]] reciting the poem in DeForest's [[Phonofilm]] sound-on-film process.<ref>{{cite web|title=Progressive Silent Film List: Casey at the Bat|url=http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/C/CaseyAtTheBat1922.html|website=Silent Era}}</ref>
*In 1927, a feature-length [[silent film]] ''[[Casey at the Bat (1927 film)|Casey at the Bat]]'' was released, starring [[Wallace Beery]], [[Ford Sterling]], and [[ZaSu Pitts]]. At least three other films based on Thayer's poem preceded this 1927 release: an [[Thomas Edison|Edison]] short in 1899, another short starring [[Harry T. Morey]] in 1913, and a [[Casey at the Bat (1916 film)|five-reel feature]] starring DeWolf Hopper in 1916.
*[[Walt Disney Productions]] produced an [[animated short|Animated Segment]] adaptation of the poem for the film ''[[Make Mine Music]]'' (1946) and uses the original text, but is set in 1902 according to the opening song's lyrics, instead of 1888. This version is recited by [[Jerry Colonna (entertainer)|Jerry Colonna]]. It was later released as an individual short on July 16, 1954.  A sequel short was also produced ''[[Casey Bats Again]]'' and released on June 18, 1954.
*A 1976 animated short adaptation, featuring narration by [[Paul Frees]], was released in 1976 by Fine Arts Films.<ref>{{Citation|last=Wilson|first=John|title=Casey at the Bat|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1926232/|type=Animation, Short|publisher=Fine Arts Films|access-date=2021-12-30}}</ref>
*In 1986, [[Elliott Gould]] starred as "Casey" in the ''[[Shelley Duvall]]'s Tall Tales and Legends'' adaptation of the story, which also starred [[Carol Kane]], [[Howard Cosell]], [[Bob Uecker]], [[Bill Macy]] and [[Rae Dawn Chong]]. The screenplay, adapted from the poem, was written by [[Andy Borowitz]] and the production was directed by [[David Steinberg]].
*In ''[[The Dream Team (1989 film)|The Dream Team]]'' (1989), [[Michael Keaton]]'s character announces that "there is no joy in Mudville" after giving a fellow mental patient three "strikes" for psychotic behavior.
*In 1993 the last paragraph is quoted in the film ''[[Short Cuts]]'' (by [[Robert Altman]]), when [[Lyle Lovett]] as Andy Bitkower is calling anonymously [[Andie MacDowell]] as Ann Finnigan in minute 01:34:58.

=== Radio ===
*The poem was adapted for an episode of ''[[On Stage (radio show)|On Stage]]'' that aired on [[CBS Radio|CBS]] on April 16, 1953. It was written by [[E. Jack Neuman]] and starred [[Elliott Lewis (actor)|Elliott Lewis]], [[Cathy Lewis]], [[Hy Averback]], Herb Butterfield, [[Byron Kane]], [[Peter Leeds]], [[Hal March]], Howard McNear, and [[Sidney Miller (actor)|Sidney Miller]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Radio drama : a comprehensive chronicle of American network programs, 1932-1962|last=Grams|first=Martin|date=February 27, 2008|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786438716|location=Jefferson, N.C.|oclc=188535974}}</ref>
*Radio personality [[Casey Kasem]] self-identified on-air as "Casey at the mic."

===Television===
*[[Jackie Gleason]] in his "Reginald Van Gleason III" persona (in full Mudville baseball uniform) performed a recitation of the poem on his ''And Awaaaay We Go!'' album.
*Season 1, episode 35 of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', "The Mighty Casey", concerns a baseball player who is actually a robot (June 17, 1960).
*In the ''[[Northern Exposure]]'' episode "The Graduate", Chris Stevens gains his [[Master's degree]] in [[Comparative literature]] by subjecting his assessors to a spirited re-enactment of the poem.
*In ''[[General Hospital]]'', [[Steve Hardy (General Hospital)|Steve Hardy]] performs the poem during the 1994 Nurses' Ball while dressed in a Mudville baseball uniform. He concludes by telling the audience not to worry because Casey is married to the Mudville owner's daughter.
*In ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', the episode "[[Bedtime Stories (How I Met Your Mother)|Bedtime Stories]]" (which is done entirely in rhymes) features a subplot called [[Bedtime Stories (How I Met Your Mother)#"Mosby At The Bat"|"Mosby At The Bat"]]. The start of that section of the episode begins with "The outlook wasn't brilliant for poor Ted's romantic life", a line based on the opening of the original poem.<ref name=HIMYM>{{cite web|title=How I Met Your Mother Episode Bedtime Stories Scripts|url=http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=how-i-met-your-mother&episode=s09e11|website=springfieldspringfield.co.uk|access-date=December 7, 2014}}</ref>
*In ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'', season 8 episode "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" was a flashback-heavy episode revolving around a baseball game with [[Jamie Scott (One Tree Hill)|Jamie Scott]] narrating the poem throughout.

===Music===
*Art-song composer [[Sidney Homer]] turned the poem into a song. Sheet music was published by G. Schirmer in 1920 as part of ''Six Cheerful Songs to Poems of American Humor.''
*[[William Schuman]] composed an opera, ''The Mighty Casey'' (1953), based on the poem.
*The song "No Joy in Mudville" from [[Death Cab for Cutie]]'s album ''[[We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes]]'' directly references the poem.
*The song "[[Centerfield (song)|Centerfield]]" by [[John Fogerty]] includes the line "Well, I spent some time in the Mudville Nine, watchin' it from the bench. You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Casey struck out."
*The song "No Joy In Pudville" by [[Steroid Maximus]] is a reference to this poem.
*[[Joe Walsh]]'s 1973 song "[[Rocky Mountain Way (song)|Rocky Mountain Way]]" features the lyrics "Bases are loaded/ And Casey's at bat/ Playin' it play-by-play/ Time to change the batter."
*In 2008 American composer Randol Alan Bass used the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" by Alfred Von Tilzer and Jack Norworth in ''Casey at the Bat'', a setting of the poem for concert band and narrator.<ref>''Casey at the Bat'', poem by Ernest L. Thayer, a setting for concert band and narrator by Randol Alan Bass. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., 2008</ref>

===Theatre===
*"Casey at the Bat" was adapted into a 1953 [[opera]] by American composer [[William Schuman]].  
*An orchestral adaptation by composer [[Frank Proto]] has been recorded by the [[Cincinnati Pops]] orchestra conducted by [[Erich Kunzel]] with baseball star [[Johnny Bench]] narrating. 
*The Dallas Symphony commissioned an arrangement of "Casey" by Randol Alan Bass in 2001, which he later arranged for concert band.

==Derivations==
{{In popular culture|date=May 2021}}
For a relatively short poem apparently dashed off quickly (and denied by its author for years), "Casey at the Bat" had a profound effect on American popular culture. It has been [[#Live performances|recited]], re-enacted, [[#Adaptations|adapted]], dissected, parodied, and subjected to just about every other treatment one could imagine.<ref name="Gardner" />

===Sequels===
*"Casey's Revenge", by [[Grantland Rice]] (1907), gives Casey another chance against the pitcher who had struck him out in the original story. It was written in 1906, and its first known publication was in the quarterly magazine ''The Speaker'' in June 1907, under the pseudonym of James Wilson.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gardner|first=Martin|title=The Annotated Casey at the Bat: A Collection of Ballads About the Mighty Casey|url=https://archive.org/details/annotatedcaseyat00gard_948|url-access=limited|year=1995|publisher=Dover Publications|isbn=0-486-28598-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/annotatedcaseyat00gard_948/page/n53 38]}}</ref> In this version, Rice cites the nickname "Strike-Out Casey", hence the influence on [[Casey Stengel]]'s name. Casey's team is down ''three'' runs by the last of the ninth, and once again Casey is down to two strikes—with the bases full this time. However, he connects, and hits the ball so far that it is never found.
*"Casey - Twenty Years Later", by Clarence P. McDonald (1908), imagines a different redemption for Casey, long after his retirement. The poem, which was indeed published twenty years after the original, in the San Francisco Examiner, sees Casey attending a championship game between the fictional team of "Bugville" and an unspecified opponent.<ref>{{cite web|last=McDonald|first=Clarence|title=CASEY - TWENTY YEARS LATER BY CLARENCE P. MCDONALD|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_case1.shtml|page=[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/]}}</ref> In a losing effort, Bugville's players are benched and injured throughout the game, until the captain is forced to call for a volunteer from the attendees. An aged Casey answers the call and fills the role surprisingly well, culminating with him hitting the game-winning home run, in his first swing at bat. He then reveals his identity to the joyous fans and players.
*In response to the popularity of the 1946 Walt Disney animated adaptation, Disney made a sequel, ''Casey Bats Again'' (1954), in which Casey's nine daughters redeem his reputation.
*In 1988, on the 100th anniversary of the poem, ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' writer [[Frank Deford]] constructed a fanciful story (later expanded to book form) for what happened before and after the famous ball game.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Deford |first=Frank |date=July 18, 1988 |title=Huge Commotion in Mudville |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |location= |publisher=[[Time, Inc.]] |volume=69 |issue=3 |pages=55–75 |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1988/07/18/702597#&gid=ci0258c0af500d26ef&pid=702597---057---image |access-date=June 11, 2022}}</ref>

===Parodies===
Of the many [[parody|parodies]] made of the poem, some of the notable ones include:
*''[[Mad (magazine)|Mad]]'' magazine republished the original version of the poem in the 1950s with artwork by [[Jack Davis (cartoonist)|Jack Davis]] and no alterations to the text. Later lampoons in ''Mad'' included "'Cool' Casey at the Bat" (1960), an interpretation of the poem in [[beatnik]] style, with artwork by [[Don Martin (cartoonist)|Don Martin]] although the ending still has Casey striking out; "Casey at the Dice" in 1969, about a professional gambler; "Casey at the Contract Talks" in 1974 (which ends with the owner telling Casey to "practice hard at home this year 'cause now you've struck out twice"); Casey at the Talks" in 1977, a "modern" version of the famed poem in which Mudville tries unsuccessfully to sign free agent Casey [the last line of which is "Mighty Casey has held out"]; "Baseball at the Bat", a satire on baseball itself, "Howard at the Mike", about [[Howard Cosell]]; "Casey at the Byte" (1985), a tale of a cocky young computer expert who accidentally erases the White House Budget Plan; "Clooney as the Bat", a mockery of [[George Clooney]]'s role as [[Batman]] in ''[[Batman & Robin (film)|Batman and Robin]]''; and in 2006 as "Barry at the Bat", poking fun at [[Barry Bonds]]' alleged involvement in the [[BALCO]] scandal; in 2001, "Jordan at the Hoop", satirizing [[Michael Jordan]]'s return to the NBA and his time with the [[Washington Wizards]]; and in 2012, "Casey at the Trial", satirizing Casey Anthony's acquittal in the case of [[Death of Caylee Anthony|the death of her daughter Caylee]]. It also includes a "Poetry Round Robin" where famous poems are rewritten in the style of the next poet in line, featured Casey at the Bat as written by [[Edgar Allan Poe]].
*Sportswriter [[Leonard Koppett]] claimed in a 1979 tongue-in-cheek article that the published poem omits 18 lines penned by Thayer, which changed the overall theme of the poem. Koppett added lines, claiming to have transcribed them off an old phonograph recording, that take the pitch count on Casey to full. Meanwhile, his uncle Arnold stirs up wagering action in the stands, before a wink passes between them. Casey throws the game.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Koppett|first1=Leonard|title=Casey at Bat? He Was Fraud!|work=The Sporting News|date=August 4, 1979|page=16}}</ref>
*[[Foster Brooks]] ("the Lovable Lush" from the ''Dean Martin Show'') wrote "Riley on the Mound", which recounts the story from the pitcher's perspective. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/06/03/for-a-guy-who-struck-out-100-years-ago-mighty-casey-is-still/]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/06/03/for-a-guy-who-struck-out-100-years-ago-mighty-casey-is-still/|title=For A Guy Who Struck Out 100 Years Ago, Mighty Casey Is Still|work=tribunedigital-chicagotribune|access-date=February 28, 2017|language=en}}</ref>
*In his 1987 Baseball Abstract, [[Bill James]] published "Casey Chases A Knuckler", which employed a five-line stanza and AAAAB structure, about former MLB knuckleball pitcher [[Charlie Hough]]
*Author Phil Bolsta penned a parody entitled "Hrbek at the Bat"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_hrbek_at_the_bat.shtml|title = Hrbek at the Bat by Phil Bolsta on Baseball Almanac}}</ref> about Twins slugger [[Kent Hrbek]] which was published in 1987 in the Minneapolis Review of Baseball.
*Radio performer [[Garrison Keillor]]'s parodic version of the poem<ref>{{cite web|last1=Keillor|first1=Garrison|title=Casey at the Bat (Road Game)|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_case7.shtml|website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref> reimagines the game as a road game, instead of a home game, for the Mudville team. The same events occur with Casey striking out in the ninth inning as in the original poem, but with everything told from the perspective of other team.
*An episode of ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' featured a short titled "Buster at the Bat", where [[Sylvester (Looney Tunes)|Sylvester]] provides narration as Buster goes up to bat. The poem was parodied again for an episode of ''[[Animaniacs]]'', this time with [[Yakko, Wakko, and Dot|Wakko]] as the title character and Yakko narrating. Both versions end on a happier note with the main character hitting a home run.
*In the fourth season of ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' the episode entitled "Mind Over Matter/Orson at the Bat/Multiple Choice Cartoon" features Wade Duck narrating a parody of the poem as Orson Pig experiences it in a dream sequence.
*In ''[[The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius]]'' episode "Return of the Nanobots", Cindy's poem is identical to the ending of "Casey at the Bat" but replaces Mudville with Retroville and the last famed line with "cause Jimmy is an idiot!"
*[[The New York Times]] published a parody by Hart Seely and [[Frank Cammuso]] in which the poem was narrated by [[Phil Rizzuto]], a [[New York Yankees]] announcer who was known to veer off on tangents while calling the game. The poem was later published in Seely and Cammuso's book, ''2007 Eleven And Other American Comedies''.
*[[David Pogue]] penned a parody version titled 'A Desktop Critic: Steven Saves the Mac' for [[Macworld]] magazine that ran in their October 1999 issue.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pogue|first1=David|title=The Desktop Critic: Steven Saves the Mac|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/15358/1999/10/desktopcritic.html|work=Macworld|date=October 1999|access-date=May 30, 2011|archive-date=April 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110416234433/http://www.macworld.com/article/15358/1999/10/desktopcritic.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> It tells the story of [[Steve Jobs]]' triumphant return to a struggling [[Apple Inc]] and his early efforts to reverse the company's fortunes.
*[[Dick Flavin (poet)|Dick Flavin]] wrote a version titled Teddy at the Bat, after [[Boston Red Sox]] legend [[Ted Williams]] died in July 2002. Flavin performed the poem at [[Fenway Park]] during the night-long tribute to Williams done at the park later that month. The poem replaced Flynn and Blake with [[Bobby Doerr]] and [[Johnny Pesky]], the batters who preceded Williams in the 1946 Red Sox lineup.
*In 2000, Michael J. Farrand adapted the [[rhyming scheme]], tone, and [[Literary theme|theme]] of the poem—while reversing the outcome—to create his poem "The Man Who Gave All the Dreamers in Baseball Land Bigger Dreams to Dream" about [[Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run|Kirk Gibson's home run]] off [[Dennis Eckersley]] in Game 1 of the 1988 [[World Series]].  The poem appears at the [[Baseball Almanac]].
*Norman Jackman wrote a reversed-outcome version in 1951 called "Bobby Thomson at the Bat," which went unknown for over 60 years until the [[San Francisco Giants]] published it in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sfgiantsphotos.mlblogs.com/bobby-thomson-at-the-bat-54859b06e729|title=Bobby Thomson at the Bat|last=MLB.com/blogs|date=February 2, 2012|website=SF Giants Photos|access-date=December 12, 2016}}</ref> It's about [[Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)|Thomson's famous home run]] in a 1951 Giant-Dodger playoff game.  In 2016, the poem was accepted into the poetry files of the National Baseball Library and Archive of the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]].
*[[The New York Times]] best-selling author and poet laureate of The Ringer, [[Shea Serrano]], penned a loving tribute to [[NBA]] player [[Gordon Hayward]] in the vein of "Casey at the Bat" in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theringer.com/gordon-hayward-utah-jazz-poem-nbshea-ea66d15584be|title = Gordon Hayward is in the NBA|date = April 5, 2017}}</ref>
*Canadian comedy duo [[Wayne and Shuster]] created "Shakespearean Baseball", featuring [[William Shakespeare]]-esque characters and dialogue in a skit based upon the poem. They performed the play on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' and on Canadian TV numerous times between the 1950s and 1980s.
*Baseball writer and [[Villanova University|Villanova]] professor Mitchell Nathanson updated the poem for contemporary times in 2019, publishing "Casey @ the Bat" in ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/01/casey-bat-poem-baseball-modern-era/?wpisrc=nl_ideas&wpmm=1| title = Opinion {{!}} 'Casey @ the Bat,' a poem for baseball in the modern era - The Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

===Translations===
There are three known translations of the poem into a foreign language, one in French, written in 2007 by French Canadian linguist Paul Laurendeau, with the title ''Casey au bâton'', and two in Hebrew. One by the sports journalist Menachem Less titled "התור של קייסי לחבוט" [Hator Shel Casey Lachbot],<ref>[http://www.hoops.co.il/index.asp?page=ViewEL&id=98|בלאדת הספורט הגדולה מכולן!] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080711103818/http://www.hoops.co.il/index.asp?page=ViewEL&id=98 |date=July 11, 2008 }}</ref> and the other more recent and more true to the original cadence and style by Jason H. Elbaum called קֵיסִי בַּמַּחְבֵּט [Casey BaMachbayt].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Elbaum|first1=Jason H.|title=Casey at the Bat in Hebrew|url=http://caseyatthebatinhebrew.blogspot.com/}}</ref>

===Names===
[[Casey Stengel]] describes in his autobiography how his original nickname "K.C." (for his hometown, [[Kansas City, Missouri]]) evolved into "Casey". It was influenced not just by the name of the poem, which was widely popular in the 1910s, but also because he tended to strike out frequently in his early career so fans and writers started calling him "strikeout Casey".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Stengel|first1=Casey|last2=Paxton|first2=Harry T.|title=Casey at the Bat: The Story of My Life in Baseball|date=1962|publisher=Random House|location=New York|page=11}}</ref>

==Contemporary culture==
[[File:Mighty-casey 15216126471 o.jpg|thumb|Mighty Casey by [[Mark Lundeen]] (1985)]]
{{In popular culture|date=May 2021}}

===Video games===
*The poem is referenced in the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] game ''[[EarthBound]]'', where a weapon is named the Casey Bat, which is the strongest weapon in the game, but will only hit 25% of the time.

===Television===
*A recurring character in the ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' anime, a girl who is a very enthusiastic fan of baseball, is named "Casey" in the English version in reference to the poem.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Casey_(anime)|title=Casey (anime)|website=Bulbapedia|date=September 30, 2024 }}</ref>
*Season 1, episode 35 of ''The Twilight Zone'' was named "The Mighty Casey" in reference to the poem's lead character, though the plot is unrelated.
*The title of Season 3, episode 17 of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', "[[Homer at the Bat]]", is a reference to the poem.
*A third-season episode of ''[[Storm Chasers (TV series)|Storm Chasers]]'' was titled "Sean Casey At Bat". The episode featured Casey (a chaser) intercepting a tornado for the first time in TIV 2.
*In the show ''[[Friends]]'', Ross clarifies how to spell "Casey" as in "at the bat" in the Season 2, episode 14 titled "The One with the Prom Video."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://friends.tktv.net/Episodes2/summaries/14.html|title=Transcript of The One with the Prom Video|website=friends.tktv.net}}</ref>
*In the show ''[[Containment (TV series)|Containment]]'', Season 1, episode 6 takes its name, "He Stilled the Rising Tumult", from the poem.
*In the show ''[[Black Mirror]]'', Season 6, episode 3, "[[Beyond the Sea (Black Mirror)|Beyond the Sea]]" quotes the poem.{{Explain|date=February 2024}}

===Theme parks===
*Casey's Corner is a baseball-themed restaurant in [[Walt Disney World]]'s [[Magic Kingdom]], which serves primarily hotdogs. Pictures of Casey and the pitcher from the Disney animated adaptation are hanging on the walls, and a life-size statue of a baseball player identified as "Casey" stands just outside the restaurant. Additionally, the scoreboard in the restaurant shows that Mudville lost to the visitors by two runs.
*A hot dog restaurant featuring the Disney character can be found at [[Disneyland Paris]]' [[Disneyland Park (Paris)|Disneyland Park]] since its opening in 1992, under the name Casey's Corner.
*A game called Casey at the Bat is in the Games of the Boardwalk at the [[Disneyland Resort]]'s [[Disney California Adventure Park|Disney California Adventure]].

===Theatre===
*In ''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]'' (1993) Clifford Bradshaw recites the end of "Mighty Casey" to [[Sally Bowles]].

===Postage stamp===

On July 11, 1996, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a [[commemorative stamp]] depicting "Mighty Casey."  The stamp was part of a set commemorating American [[folk hero]]es.  Other stamps in the set depicted [[Paul Bunyan]], [[John Henry (folklore)|John Henry]], and [[Pecos Bill]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mighty Casey|url=http://usstampgallery.com/view.php?id=279473ac9b832af457fc5d895faed6782083c783|website=US Stamp Gallery}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource}}
*[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/casey_at_the_bat/mlb_anniversary_story.jsp?feature=clubhouse "Casey at the Bat" on MLB.com].
*[[Media:CaseyAtTheBat.ogg|Hear Hopper recite the poem]].
*[https://www.loc.gov/programs/static/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/CASEY%20AT%20THE%20BAT.pdf Library of Congress essay] on its inclusion into the [[National Recording Registry]].
*[http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder5348 ''Casey at the Bat'' cylinder recording by Russell Hunting], from the [[Cylinder Audio Archive]] at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] Library.
*[http://www.joslinhall.com/casey_at_the_bat.htm "Casey at the Bat" Web site with biographical details on Thayer, Hopper, Mike "King" Kelly and chronology of the poem's publication.]
*[http://baseballcardblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/casey-at-bat.html "Casey at the Bat" as told in baseball cards]
*[https://lightpoetrymagazine.com/a-m-juster-2-summer-2013/ "Casey at the Bat” and its Long Post-Game Show"] an essay on its composition and legacy by [[Michael J. Astrue]]
*[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poems.shtml Poems about Casey's later life], including another by Grantland Rice, and one by [[Garrison Keillor]]
* {{librivox book | title=Casey at the Bat | author=Ernest Lawrence THAYER}}
* [https://caseyatthe.blog/ Caseyatthe.blog] is a site dedicated to preserving and promoting the literary legacy of "Casey at the Bat" and the biography of "Casey's" author, Ernest Lawrence Thayer

{{American tall tales}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey At The Bat}}
[[Category:Casey at the Bat| ]]
[[Category:American poems]]
[[Category:Baseball poems]]
[[Category:Fictional baseball players]]
[[Category:American folklore]]
[[Category:1888 poems]]
[[Category:Works originally published in the San Francisco Examiner]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]]
[[Category:Poems adapted into films]]
[[Category:2000 children's books]]
[[Category:Caldecott Honor–winning works]]
[[Category:American picture books]]