Homer at the Bat: the Simpsons' softball episode

To win a million-dollar bet, Mr. Burns hires nine genuine Major League stars… and watches them evaporate one by one.

Only Homer will be left, knocked out by a pitch. A look back at one of the wildest episodes in the show.

The Simpsons' softball episode

"Homer at the Bat" (1992) — not to be confused with "La Bande à Homer", an erroneous French title — starts with a bet: Mr. Burns wagers a million dollars on his company softball team, the one from his nuclear power plant, against Shelbyville's. To be sure of winning, he decides to recruit professionals, relegating his employees — Homer included — to the bench.

🧥 Mr. Burns recruits professionals and sends Homer and the other nuclear plant employees to the bench; when you're the one following your team's game from the sidelines, our Simpsons jackets keep you warm until the very last pitch.

The nine Major League stars

The episode's stroke of genius: nine genuine American baseball stars come in to voice themselves. Among them are Ken Griffey Jr., Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, Roger Clemens, José Canseco and Don Mattingly — hired as front employees at the plant so they can play. An unprecedented sports cast, which gave the episode enormous ratings.

Nine separate misfortunes

But fate has other plans: on the eve of the final, each of the stars falls victim to an absurd misfortune that keeps them from playing. One is arrested for every unsolved crime in town, another is knocked out by Barney during a historical debate at Moe's bar, a third falls victim to Burns's "tonic", which makes him grow to enormous size… In the end, a single professional, Darryl Strawberry, actually plays the game — in Homer's usual position.

🥃 At Moe's bar, one historical debate was all it took for Barney to knock out a Major League star before the final; on your coffee table, our Simpsons coasters hold your glasses through those same debates, without knocking anyone out.

Homer's victory

The climax is also the most ironic part. In the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded and the score tied, Burns calls Homer back onto the field on a pure point of tactics. And Homer wins the game… without even moving: he is hit in the head by a pitch, which gives him a base and forces in the winning run. All of it crowned by the song "Talkin' Softball", performed by a professional singer.

The "D'oh" of the game

Simpsons Boxers - Homer D'oh

The word Homer says as he takes the ball to the head — and wins the game.

€29.90 View product →

⚾ In the ninth inning, bases loaded, Homer drives in the winning run by taking a pitch to the head; yours deserves a softer landing, propped up against our Simpsons cushions when you rewatch the episode from your couch.

Summary table

FAQ

• What is "Homer at the Bat" about?
  Mr. Burns recruits nine Major League stars to win a softball bet; every one of them ends up sidelined, and Homer saves the game.
• How does Homer win the game?
  He is hit in the head by a pitch, which gives him a base and forces in the winning run — without his having to play at all.
• Do the real stars voice themselves?
  Yes: the nine MLB players play themselves in the episode.
• Do the players sing "Talkin' Softball"?
  No: the song is performed by singer Terry Cashman, not by the players.

Conclusion

Absurd, generous and packed with stars, "Homer at the Bat" is one of the most famous episodes of The Simpsons. Proof that even against nine champions, it is still Homer who takes the prize — through pure bad luck.