"Casey at the Bat" 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. As a work it 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.
The last verse reads:
- 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.
