This day in baseball: “Casey At the Bat” is published

I’ve done a handful of posts about the poem “Casey At the Bat” by Ernest L. Thayer.  The poem first appeared in the San Francisco Examiner  on June 3, 1888, originally published under the pen name “Phin” because Thayer felt embarrassed to have written what he considered “bad verse.”  When others came forward to claim the work as their own, however, Thayer revealed himself as the true author.

To celebrate the anniversary of this classic poem, here’s a recording of James Earl Jones reciting the piece.  (And, yes, it’s pretty awesome.)


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