Casey at the Bat
"For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat."
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.
Tropes used in Casey at the Bat include:
- Defictionalization: In a tribute to the poem, the real-life Stockton Ports minor league baseball team renamed themselves the Mudville Nine in 2000 and 2001.
- Down to the Last Play: In this case, Casey did not win the game for Mudville.
- Miracle Rally: Subverted. A series of mediocre players make it to base, and it looks like Mudville will come back at the last moment. Then their team hero, Casey, strikes out, losing the game.
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog
- What an Idiot!: Casey decides to be slick and let the first two pitches fly rather than hit then, confident he can hit the last ball. Yeah should've took those first pitches Casey.
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