Homer at the Bat

"Homer at the Bat"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	52
Directed by	Jim Reardon
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Showrunner(s)	Al Jean & Mike Reiss
Production code	8F13
Original air date	February 20, 1992
Chalkboard gag	"I will not aim for the head"
Couch gag	The family run to the couch, and bang 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
Guest appearance(s)
Roger Clemens Mike Scioscia Don Mattingly Steve Sax Ozzie Smith Wade Boggs Darryl Strawberry Ken Griffey, Jr. Jose Canseco Terry Cashman
Season 3 episodes September 19, 1991 – August 27, 1992 "Stark Raving Dad" "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" "When Flanders Failed" "Bart the Murderer" "Homer Defined" "Like Father, Like Clown" "Treehouse of Horror II" "Lisa's Pony" "Saturdays of Thunder" "Flaming Moe's" "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" "I Married Marge" "Radio Bart" "Lisa the Greek" "Homer Alone" "Bart the Lover" "Homer at the Bat" "Separate Vocations" "Dog of Death" "Colonel Homer" "Black Widower" "The Otto Show" "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"
Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

"Homer at the Bat" is the seventeenth episode of The Simpsons' third season. It originally aired on the Fox network 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. It was written by John Swartzwelder, who is a big baseball fan, and directed by Jim Reardon.

Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey, Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, José Canseco, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Scioscia all guest starred as themselves, playing the ringers hired by Mr. Burns. Terry Cashman sang a song over the end credits. The guest stars were recorded over several months, with differing degrees of cooperation. 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. In 2014, showrunner Al Jean selected it as one of five essential episodes in the show's history.