Ernest Lawrence Thayer Poetry

Ernest Lawrence Thayer was an American poet. He is remembered for ‘Casey at the Bat,’ a classic of American literature. It is considered to be the most famous baseball poem ever written. He also contributed comics to New York Journal and oversaw his family’s mills.

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Casey at the Bat

Thayer’s ‘Casey at the Bat’ captures the instability of baseball, where Mudville’s hero, Casey, strikes out, turning hopes into despair.

This poem is, without a doubt, the poet's best-known. Thayer's narrative poetry 'Casey at the Bat' was originally published in 1888. Its main character is Casey, an arrogant baseball pitcher from the imaginary town of Mudville. Its satirical themes criticize Casey, his team's "mighty" player. The poem is humorous because it exaggerates Casey's power and how confidently he lets two pitches pass.

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:

The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,

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