Dan Casey
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Daniel Maurice Casey (November 20, 1862 – February 8, 1943) was an American professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player whose career spanned from 1884 to 1894 and 1899. He played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
, principally as a
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
, over parts of seven seasons for four major league clubs. He saw his most extensive playing time with the Philadelphia Quakers, appearing in 142 games for that team from 1886 to 1889. He also appeared in 46 games for the Syracuse Stars in 1890. Casey led the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
with a 2.86
earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) and four
shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...
s in 1887 while playing for Philadelphia. Over the course of his seven seasons in the major leagues, he compiled a 96–90
win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
in 201 appearances, with a 3.18 ERA and 743
strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s. In his later years, Casey claimed to be the Casey about whom Ernest L. Thayer wrote his famous poem, "
Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', an ...
." Casey was given a parade honoring him as the famed "Casey", was featured on a national radio broadcast, and participated in a "re-enactment" of "Casey at the Bat" when he was age 78. The poem's author denied that his work was based on any real player, and several sources have called Casey's claim into doubt. Casey had a career
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .162 and one
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
.


Early years

Casey was born in Binghamton, New York, in 1862. His parents, Hannah and William Casey, immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Casey grew up with five siblings on the family's farm in
Broome County, New York Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when Br ...
, a short distance from Binghamton.


Professional baseball career


Wilmington

In 1884, Casey began his professional baseball career at age 21 with the
Wilmington Quicksteps The Wilmington Quicksteps (also known as the Quickstep Club of Wilmington) were an 1884 late-season replacement baseball team in the Union Association. They finished with a 2-16 record and were managed by Joe Simmons. The team played their home ga ...
. He began playing for Wilmington while the team was part of the Eastern League and compiled a 10–2 win–loss record and 1.91 ERA in Eastern League play. Casey continued to play for the Quicksteps after the team joined the
Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...
in August 1884, compiling a 1-1 record and 1.00 ERA in two games. The Quicksteps played only 18 games as a major league club and compiled a record of 2-16. Casey was the winning pitcher in one of the two victories in the club's brief major league history; a player known as
The Only Nolan Edward Sylvester "The Only" Nolan (November 7, 1857 – May 18, 1913) was a Canadian pitcher and outfielder in professional baseball. He played for five Major League Baseball (MLB) teams from 1878 to 1885. Family Although Nolan was raised in Pate ...
was the winning pitcher in the Quicksteps' other victory.


Indianapolis and Detroit

In 1885, Casey played with two different teams. He began the season with the
Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis Hoosiers was the name of three major league and at least three minor league baseball clubs based in Indianapolis. * Indianapolis Hoosiers (American Association), which played in 1884 * Indianapolis Hoosiers (National League), which pla ...
of the newly formed Western League and compiled a 10–2 win–loss record and a 0.50 ERA in 12 games. In mid-June 1885, the Western League disbanded, and the majority of the Indianapolis players were signed by the
Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...
of the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
. Casey appeared in 12 games for Detroit and compiled a 4-8 (.333) win–loss record and a 3.29 ERA.


Philadelphia

Casey was acquired by the Philadelphia Quakers (later renamed the Phillies) of the National League prior to the 1886 season and played with that club for the next four seasons from 1886 to 1889. Casey enjoyed his career best seasons with Philadelphia, winning 66 games from 1886 to 1888. In 1886, Casey threw 39
complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
s and compiled a 24-18 (.571) record. Casey ranked among the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
's leading pitchers with four
shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...
s (2nd), a 2.41 ERA (6th), a
Wins Above Replacement Wins Above Replacement or Wins Above Replacement Player, commonly abbreviated to WAR or WARP, is a non-standardized sabermetric baseball statistic developed to sum up "a player's total contributions to his team". A player's WAR value is claimed to ...
(WAR) rating of 6.2 (6th), a
Walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. WHIP is calculated by adding the number of walks and hits allowed and dividi ...
(WHIP) ratio of 1.165 (7th), 44
games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is lis ...
(8th), 24 wins (9th) and 193
strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s (9th). In 1887, Casey led the league with a 2.86 ERA and four shutouts and compiled a career-best 28-13 (.683) record. He again ranked among the league's leaders pitchers in multiple categories with a 147
Adjusted ERA+ Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average (ERA) according to the pitcher's ballpark (in case the ballpark favors batters or pitchers) and the ERA of ...
(1st), 10.4 WAR pitcher rating (2nd), a .683 win percentage (3rd), 28 wins (4th), 43 complete games (6th),
innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...
(6th), 1.260 WHIP (7th), 119 strikeouts (8th). In 1888, Casey started 33 games, threw 31 complete games, and compiled a 14-18 (.438) record and a 3.15 ERA with 108 strikeouts. His playing time was reduced further in 1889 to 20 games started, as he compiled a 6-10 (.375) record and a 3.77 ERA.


Syracuse

Casey played during the 1890 season with the Syracuse Stars of the
American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...
. He appeared as a pitcher in 45 games for Syracuse, threw 40 complete games and innings, and compiled a 19-22 record and a 4.14 ERA. He appeared in his last major league game on October 4, 1890, at age 27.


Minor leagues

Although his major league career ended in 1890, Casey continued playing for several years in the
minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
s. His minor league career included stints with clubs in Jamestown and
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
, in 1891, and
Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
, from 1892 to 1894 and 1899. In 1894, while playing for Binghamton, he struck out 15 batters in an exhibition game against the club from
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
.


"Casey at the Bat"

After retiring from baseball, Casey claimed to be the "Casey" about whom Ernest L. Thayer wrote his famous poem, "
Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', an ...
", which had first been published in 1888 by a San Francisco newspaper. Casey claimed that the poem was based on an August 1887 game in which he played for Philadelphia. He asserted that he had hit a "lucky" home run against Boston a week earlier and that Philadelphia trailed, 4-3, when he came to bat and struck out. In support of his claim that the poem was based on his performance for Philadelphia, Casey pointed out that the
Huntington Avenue Grounds Huntington Avenue American League Baseball Grounds is the full name of the baseball stadium that formerly stood in Boston, Massachusetts, and was the first home field for the Boston Red Sox (known informally as the "Boston Americans" before 1908 ...
where the Philadelphia Quakers played in 1887 was in a neighborhood once called "Mudville", the same name given to the locale in Thayer's poem. Casey claimed the area drew the name "Mudville" because the site was a vast mudhole before the ballpark was built. Over the years, a number of sources accepted Casey's claim. As early as 1900, after Casey was "scalped" in a streetcar accident, a newspaper account noted that there was "no end" to the persons claiming to be "Casey", but cited Dan Casey as the one true "Casey" who had been immortalized by Thayer.(available on-line through the LOC Chronicling America database) In July 1915, a local Binghamton baseball club, the Bingos, sponsored a "Casey Day" that included a parade honoring Dan Casey as the famed "Casey." In March 1938, Casey appeared on
Gabriel Heatter Gabriel Heatter (September 17, 1890 – March 30, 1972) was an American radio commentator whose World War II-era sign-on, "There's good news tonight," became both his catchphrase and his caricature. Early life The son of Jewish immigrants from ...
's radio program, broadcast on the Columbia network, to make his claim to being the famous "Casey." During the broadcast, Casey stated:
I've been waiting 50 years to tell you folks that Mighty Casey was just old Dan Casey, a pretty good ball player, but no home run king. But I guess if I hadn't struck out that day I never would have become famous.
After Casey's radio broadcast, ''
The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' published a lengthy profile, complete with a photograph of the 75-year-old Casey with a bat on his shoulder, touting him as the "Inspiration of Thayer's Poem." Two months later, in May 1938, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine published a story referring to Casey as the "Mudville Man." In approximately 1940, a supposed re-enactment of "Casey at the Bat" was played out prior to a
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
game;
Rogers Hornsby Rogers Hornsby Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933 ...
threw two called strikes to the 78-year-old Dan Casey, and Casey then swung and missed on the third pitch, just as Thayer had written in the poem. Over the years, other players, including
King Kelly Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (December 31, 1857 – November 8, 1894), also commonly known as "$10,000 Kelly", was an American outfielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, Inter ...
and John Cahill, have been suggested as Thayer's inspiration, though Thayer himself reportedly denied that the poem was based on any real player. As early as 1900,
Fred Pfeffer Nathaniel Frederick Pfeffer (March 17, 1860 – April 10, 1932), nicknamed "Dandelion" and "Fritz", was an American baseball player. He was a second baseman in Major League Baseball between 1882 and 1897. His final game took place on June 14, 18 ...
rejected Casey's claim: "Now, you listen to me! That poem was never written about that Casey." In February 1943, a columnist in ''The Sporting News'' described Casey's claim to be Thayer's inspiration as a "myth" and wrote: "Thayer ... always declared he had no particular player in mind as his hero. But despite this evidence, original 'Caseys' continue to appear, including Daniel, who was the most persistent and told the story so often he unquestionably came to believe it." Another writer examining the claim concluded that the game cited by Casey as the inspiration for Thayer did not end in a 4-3 defeat of Philadelphia. Rather, Casey got a hit in the ninth inning, driving in two runs, and the game was called due to darkness in a 5-5 tie. Yet another writer claimed to have disproved Casey's claim by pointing out that a
strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
required four strikes in 1887, when Casey claimed to have inspired Thayer by swinging and missing on a third pitch. The author of the latter story noted: "In 1887, according to the rules so revised for that season only, Casey would have had another strike coming to him. That he didn't get it is evidence that Thayer was not writing about any incident in 1887 and that the late Dan Casey either was shortchanged, or was not the hero the author had in mind."


Family and later years

Casey was married in December 1889 to Minnie E. Cahill (sometimes later listed as Mary E. Casey) at a ceremony at St. Patrick's Church in
Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
. Casey and his wife had a daughter, Mable, in 1891. After retiring from baseball, Casey lived in Binghamton, where he worked from at least 1895 to 1920 as a trolley car operator for the Binghamton Railway Company. By 1930, Casey remained living in Binghamton with his wife, though he was not employed. After 1935, Casey and his wife later moved to
Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...
, a suburb of Washington, D.C.1940 U.S. Census entry for Daniel M. Casey, age 77, and Mary E. Casey. Shows their residence in 1935 was Binghamton. Census Place: Montgomery, Maryland; Roll: T627_1555; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 16-49. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census atabase on-line Casey died in 1943 at age 80 in a hospital in Washington, D.C. He was buried at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in
Brentwood, Maryland Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,828. Brentwood is located within of Washington. The municipality of Brentwood is located just outside the northeast boundary of ...
.


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders In baseball, earned run average (ERA) is a statistic used to evaluate pitchers, calculated as the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. A pitcher is assessed an earned run for each run scored by a baserunner who reach ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, Dan 1862 births 1943 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from New York (state) Wilmington Quicksteps players Detroit Wolverines players Philadelphia Quakers players Syracuse Stars (AA) players National League ERA champions Wilmington Quicksteps (minor league) players Indianapolis Hoosiers (minor league) players Jamestown (minor league baseball) players Albany Senators players Binghamton Bingos players Binghamton Bingoes players Allentown Buffaloes players Sportspeople from Binghamton, New York