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Casey at the Bat

 Casey at the Bat
type
TVTItem
 Casey at the Bat
label
Casey at the Bat
 Casey at the Bat
page
CaseyAtTheBat
 Casey at the Bat
comment
Penned by Ernest Thayer in 1888, Casey at the Bat is a longform poem describing a typical baseball game, wherein the fans of the "Mudville Nine" are rooting for their beloved hitter Casey to win the game for them. An iconic poem in the annals of baseball history, it is possibly the Ur-Example of Down to the Last Play.A game of baseball is taking place in the fictional town of Mudville. It's the bottom of the ninth inning and there are two outs, with the score four to two against Mudville. The fans are hoping their hero, Casey, can get to bat because he's the team's star player and known for his exceptional hitting. The two batters before Casey manage to get to second and third base, sending Casey up to bat to score the winning hit. However, Casey wants to look like an even bigger hero, and intentionally lets the first two pitches go by as strikes. On the third pitch, Casey swings with all his might, but misses the pitch, causing him to strike out and making Mudville lose the game.The poem is in the public domain. Read it here.
 Casey at the Bat
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2024-02-11T00:30:35Z
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2024-02-11T00:30:35Z
 Casey at the Bat
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Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Casey at the Bat
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Dropped link to ShaggyDogStory: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Casey at the Bat
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DBTropes
 Casey at the Bat / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Casey at the Bat / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop:
 Casey at the Bat / int_18d15922
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 Casey at the Bat / int_18d15922
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1.0
 Casey at the Bat
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Casey at the Bat / int_18d15922
 Casey at the Bat / int_1fdb5403
type
Last-Second Showoff
 Casey at the Bat / int_1fdb5403
comment
Last-Second Showoff: Casey deliberately lets himself get two strikes, because hitting a game-winning home run on the last chance seems more dramatic. However, he makes an ass of himself when it causes him to strike out and lose the game.
 Casey at the Bat / int_1fdb5403
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Casey at the Bat / int_1fdb5403
 Casey at the Bat / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Casey at the Bat / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: "But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out." Despite the crowd finally getting to see Casey at the bat, he strikes out, and they lose the game.
 Casey at the Bat / int_4e3d253b
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Casey at the Bat / int_4e3d253b
 Casey at the Bat / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Casey at the Bat / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: "But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out."
 Casey at the Bat / int_4e7c4536
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Casey at the Bat / int_4e7c4536
 Casey at the Bat / int_50b05d30
type
Disproportionate Retribution
 Casey at the Bat / int_50b05d30
comment
Disproportionate Retribution: The fans begin to shout "Kill the umpire!" after the umpire correctly calls the first two strikes. Casey has to calm them down both times.
 Casey at the Bat / int_50b05d30
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Casey at the Bat / int_50b05d30
 Casey at the Bat / int_80251be3
type
How We Got Here
 Casey at the Bat / int_80251be3
comment
How We Got Here: Done subtly. Most of the poem is in past tense, but the final two stanzas are in present tense.
 Casey at the Bat / int_80251be3
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Casey at the Bat / int_80251be3
 Casey at the Bat / int_87629455
type
No Communities Were Harmed
 Casey at the Bat / int_87629455
comment
No Communities Were Harmed: Some contended that Mudville was based on an actual location. One possibility is Holliston, Massachussetts; others say that Mudville was based on Stockton, California.
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Casey at the Bat / int_87629455
 Casey at the Bat / int_89909a87
type
Well, This Is Not That Trope
 Casey at the Bat / int_89909a87
comment
Well, This Is Not That Trope: Played for Drama in the last stanza. The last line of the next-to-last stanza misdirects the reader to think that Casey slammed the ball hard. Unfortunately, he hit nothing but air.
 Casey at the Bat / int_89909a87
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Casey at the Bat / int_89909a87
 Casey at the Bat / int_8d0785d5
type
Didn't Think This Through
 Casey at the Bat / int_8d0785d5
comment
Didn't Think This Through: Even the best batters can't count on getting a hit from an at-bat, much less a home run off one pitch. Plus, Casey further stacked the deck against himself by deliberately taking the first two pitches for strikes; had he taken advantage of his full range of chances, he might have batted in the tying run at least. But because he wanted to look like a great hero, he blew it.
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Casey at the Bat / int_8d0785d5
 Casey at the Bat / int_96a2363c
type
Bathos
 Casey at the Bat / int_96a2363c
comment
Bathos: The poem's overly-dramatic narration is mixed in with a bunch of Large Hams in the stands and on the field.
 Casey at the Bat / int_96a2363c
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Casey at the Bat / int_96a2363c
 Casey at the Bat / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Casey at the Bat / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: The two lesser players up to bat before Casey both defy expectations by playing well. This sets us up for the ending where Casey also defies expectations by losing the game.
 Casey at the Bat / int_9d12bbc1
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Casey at the Bat / int_9d12bbc1
 Casey at the Bat / int_a68421bb
type
Animated Adaptation
 Casey at the Bat / int_a68421bb
comment
Animated Adaptation: This poem has one in the form of a segment in the 1946 Disney anthology film Make Mine Music.
 Casey at the Bat / int_a68421bb
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Casey at the Bat / int_a68421bb
 Casey at the Bat / int_aba8065b
type
Fatal Flaw
 Casey at the Bat / int_aba8065b
comment
Fatal Flaw: Abiding by the poem, Casey is The Ace and could likely have won the game if not for Pride. He tries to show off and deliberately allows two strikes ("That ain't my style!"), intending to win in a glorious final play... only to miss on the last pitch.
 Casey at the Bat / int_aba8065b
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Casey at the Bat / int_aba8065b
 Casey at the Bat / int_b5b4b077
type
The Ace
 Casey at the Bat / int_b5b4b077
comment
The Ace: Casey is the team's cleanup hitter, and all of Mudville's fans are certain he can win them the game. Unfortunately, he's let his successes go to his head, and Mudville pays for it.
 Casey at the Bat / int_b5b4b077
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Casey at the Bat / int_b5b4b077
 Casey at the Bat / int_c3c18143
type
Hope Spot
 Casey at the Bat / int_c3c18143
comment
Hope Spot: The Miracle Rally makes it look as if Mudville might win after all after two batters not known for their hitting somehow make it on base. Then Casey blows it by intentionally not swinging at the first two pitches and striking out.
 Casey at the Bat / int_c3c18143
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Casey at the Bat / int_c3c18143
 Casey at the Bat / int_d148b019
type
Mundane Made Awesome
 Casey at the Bat / int_d148b019
comment
Mundane Made Awesome: The poem treats its subject matter as though it is the most important thing ever, when it's really just a local game of baseball.
 Casey at the Bat / int_d148b019
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 Casey at the Bat / int_d148b019
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Casey at the Bat / int_d148b019
 Casey at the Bat / int_e4d98039
type
Down to the Last Play
 Casey at the Bat / int_e4d98039
comment
Down to the Last Play: A case of an Unbuilt Trope, and the former trope namer. Casey invokes this trope by deliberately allowing the first two pitches to pass without swinging. He did not win the game for Mudville, as he swung at the last pitch and missed. The whole point of the poem was dedicated to mocking the drama associated with the "final play" of a game by showing what would happen if it didn't work out.
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Casey at the Bat / int_e4d98039
 Casey at the Bat / int_e9e35e8f
type
Exact Words
 Casey at the Bat / int_e9e35e8f
comment
Exact Words: "And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow." As the final line reveals, this does not include the shockwave of the bat hitting the ball.
 Casey at the Bat / int_e9e35e8f
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Casey at the Bat / int_e9e35e8f
 Casey at the Bat / int_ea8ba51d
type
No Full Name Given
 Casey at the Bat / int_ea8ba51d
comment
No Full Name Given: Three of the Mudville players don’t get their full names revealed, and it’s impossible to determine if Casey is his first or last name. The other four never get named at all.
 Casey at the Bat / int_ea8ba51d
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Casey at the Bat / int_ea8ba51d
 Casey at the Bat / int_ef3d1b57
type
Technician Versus Performer
 Casey at the Bat / int_ef3d1b57
comment
Technician Versus Performer: A work that favors Technicians over Performers. The two batters before Casey defied expectations by making safe plays, while Casey ruined the game for Mudville by taking an unnecessary risk strictly for dramatic effect.
 Casey at the Bat / int_ef3d1b57
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Casey at the Bat / int_ef3d1b57
 Casey at the Bat / int_f0e85546
type
Unbuilt Trope
 Casey at the Bat / int_f0e85546
comment
Unbuilt Trope: Being one of the first works to use the Down to the Last Play trope, it counts as unbuilt because it shows how stupid it is to invoke this trope. In fact, the trope was once named for Casey, since he let the first two pitches go by as strikes so that he could hit the winning home run on what would be strike three so that he could look like an even bigger hero. Too bad for Casey that he blew it, swinging at the ball and missing, causing his team to lose the game.
 Casey at the Bat / int_f0e85546
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Casey at the Bat / int_f0e85546
 Casey at the Bat / int_f11e5ede
type
Miracle Rally
 Casey at the Bat / int_f11e5ede
comment
Miracle Rally: Subverted. Two despised lousy batters make it to base, and it looks like Mudville will come back at the last moment. Then team hero Casey strikes out, losing the game for Mudville.
 Casey at the Bat / int_f11e5ede
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 Casey at the Bat / int_fbba5a85
type
Quaking with Fear
 Casey at the Bat / int_fbba5a85
comment
Quaking with Fear: The pitcher was so nervous that his knees were trembling after Casey gets up to bat. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for everyone else, he strikes Casey out as a result of Casey's arrogance.
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Casey at the Bat

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Casey at the Bat
hasFeature
Bathos / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Common Meter / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Knees Knocking Together / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Last-Second Showoff / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Narrative Poem / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Not His Sled / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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One-Hit Wonder / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Pre-existing Encounters / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Pride / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Quaking with Fear / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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Stat Sticks / int_7e238573
 Casey at the Bat
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What Did You Expect When You Named It ____? / int_7e238573
 caseyatthebat
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Casey at the Bat
 Casey at the Bat
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Miracle Rally / int_7e238573