Homer at the Bat

"**Homer at the Bat**"
"Homer at the Bat"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 17
Directed by	Jim Reardon
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Production code	8F13
Original air date	February 20, 1992
Guest appearances
	Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel (scenes deleted); Wade Boggs as himself; Jose Canseco as himself; Roger Clemens as himself; Ken Griffey Jr. as himself; Don Mattingly as himself; Steve Sax as himself; Mike Scioscia as himself; Ozzie Smith as himself; Darryl Strawberry as himself; Terry Cashman singing "Talkin' Softball";
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"I will not aim for the head"
Couch gag	The family runs to the couch and bangs their heads together, knocking them unconscious. Maggie gets to the couch successfully.
Commentary	Matt Groening; Mike Reiss; Al Jean; Jeff Martin; Dan Castellaneta; Jim Reardon
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Bart the Lover"	Next →; "Separate Vocations"
	The Simpsons season 3
	List of episodes

"Homer at the Bat" is the seventeenth episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 20, 1992. The episode follows the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, having a winning season and making the championship game. Mr. Burns makes a large bet that the team will win and brings in nine ringers from the "big leagues" to ensure his success.

The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Jim Reardon. Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, Jose Canseco, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry, and Mike Scioscia all guest starred as themselves, playing the ringers hired by Mr. Burns. Terry Cashman sang "Talkin' Softball", a modified version of his song "Talkin' Baseball", over the end credits. "Homer at the Bat" underwent a lengthy production, as the guest stars were recorded over several months in accordance with their availability. Most of the players were accommodating except for Canseco, who demanded that his part be rewritten.

The episode is often named among the show's best, and was the first to beat The Cosby Show in the ratings on its original airing.^[3] In 2014, showrunner Al Jean selected it as one of five essential episodes in the show's history.^[4]

^ Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 82.
^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Homer at the Bat". BBC. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
^ Cavna, Michael (February 19, 2022). "'Homer at the Bat' at 30: The landmark 'Simpsons' episode that pushed the show's boundaries". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
^ Ayers, Mike (August 20, 2014). "5 Things: Essential Simpsons Episodes". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2018.

[FOOTNOTERichmond_&_Coffman199782-1] Richmond & Coffman 1997, p. 82.

[bbc-2] Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Homer at the Bat". BBC. Retrieved July 18, 2007.

[:0-3] Cavna, Michael (February 19, 2022). "'Homer at the Bat' at 30: The landmark 'Simpsons' episode that pushed the show's boundaries". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 21, 2022.

[4] Ayers, Mike (August 20, 2014). "5 Things: Essential Simpsons Episodes". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2018.

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