Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863-1940) initially published "Casey at the Bat" in the San Francisco Examiner under the name "Phin." This folk hero has become inextricably linked to baseball.
Setting the Scene
You can hear the "pall-like silence" that falls over the crowd. There's no hope. With the score standing at 4-to-2, the team needs a miracle. But then a shred of hope surfaces: Casey comes to bat!Anticipation mounts. It seems that Casey may be the team's savior--that all is not lost--as 5,000 fans let out a collaborative yell that rumbles, rattles, and pounds. The scene is set, and the action will play out as the would-be hero steps up to bat.
The Anti-Hero - Casey at the Bat
As the ritual of American baseball continues, he rubs his hands with dirt and wipes them on his shirt. He's defiant and proud, but his hubris is also his downfall. Strike 1. Strike 2. And, then, even with the "force of Casey's blow," he strikes out. In that moment, Casey becomes the anti-hero, the failed protagonist.In failing to realize the expectations of his thousands of fans, Casey becomes a transcendent legend. The poem has struck such a chord in American folk lore that it has been recited in theatres, ballparks and classrooms. "Casey at the Bat" has also inspired countless adaptations.
The agony of Casey's defeat is captured in stiking drawings by Joe Morse in this edition from Kids Can Press.
