History Literature / CaseyAtTheBat

* DisproportionateRetribution: The fans begin to shout "Kill the umpire!" after the umpire correctly calls the first two strikes.

* NoFullNameGiven: Four 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.

* QuakingWithFear: The pitcher was so nervous that his knees were trembling after Casey gets up to bat.

* HopeSpot: The MiracleRally 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.

!! Tropes found in "Casey at the Bat":

* AnAesop: Don’t be a showoff. You could end up screwing yourself over if you care more about looking cool than achieving a goal.

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 UrExample of DownToTheLastPlay.

* AnAesop: Don’t be a showoff, or you could end up screwing yourself over.

* DownerEnding: ''"But there is no joy in Mudville -- mighty Casey has struck out."''

* FatalFlaw: Abiding by the poem, Casey is TheAce 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 in the last throw.

* ShaggyDogStory: The poem sure seems to build up Casey making the winning score for his team. Too bad it doesn't happen.

* MiracleRally: Subverted. Two despised lousy batters 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.

* QuakingWithFear: The pitcher was so nervous that his knees were trembling.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Even the best batters can't count on getting a hit off an at bat, much less a home run off one pitch, and 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.
* DisproportionateRetribution[=/=]MisplacedRetribution: Discussed by the fans: "Kill the umpire!"

* DownToTheLastPlay: A case of an UnbuiltTrope, 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.

* FatalFlaw: Abiding by the poem, Casey is TheAce 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 in the last throw.

--> ... if only Casey could get but a whack at that -–\\

* DownToTheLastPlay: A case of an UnbuiltTrope, and was actually called TheCaseyEffect in the early days. 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.

* RealityEnsues: Even the best batters can't count on getting a hit off an at bat, much less a home run off one pitch, and 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.

* DownToTheLastPlay: A case of an UnbuiltTrope. 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.

* SuicidalOverconfidence: Casey's FatalFlaw, as he's so confident that he'll knock it out of the park that he deliberately lets the first two pitches pass.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' adaptation called ''Buster at the Bat'', with Buster in the titular role. While the Disney version followed the poem, the ''Tiny Toons'' adaptation ends with a last-minute switch in the final line as Buster knocks a home run out of the park. When immediately called out on that not being how the poem ends, Buster remarks that he's the hero.
** The ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' spoof "Mighty Wakko at Bat" initially follows the poem's premise with its own words, though Wakko is jeered instead of cheered because he's not strong enough to hold the bat. He hits the ball and the outfielders being too DistractedByTheSexy courtesy of Minerva Mink and Hello Nurse keeps them from catching it. But the ball is caught at home plate before Wakko can get there, and he is initially declared out during the last stanza ("Oh, somewhere in this favoured land...") until he pops up from the large dirt pile under home plate and is declared safe.

* AnimatedAdaptation: Creator/WaltDisney has two of them: one in 1946 (recited by [[WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland Jerry Colonna]] and set in 1902) as part of ''WesternAnimation/MakeMineMusic'', later released as an individual short in 1954; and a sequel, ''WesternAnimation/CaseyBatsAgain'', also released in 1954.
** Another was done by ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' with a... ''[[AdaptationalAlternateEnding different]]'' ending.
** Also spoofed by ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' in "Mighty Wakko at Bat", which had a BaitAndSwitch ending.

* FanWorks: A section of [[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poems.shtml this collection of baseball poetry]] is devoted to "Casey at the Bat" and the many fan works it has inspired.

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, letting 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.