"Stick a fork in him--he's done" (Dizzy Dean, 1944)

[sagehen]

>"STICK A FORK IN HIM--HE'S DONE"
>
>   A happy all-American phrase blend of baseball and barbecue.
>   I had found 1953, but I re-checked on the newly digitized THE SPORTING
>NEWS and on Ancestry ("stick" + "fork" + pitcher").  Once again, Ancestry beat
>THE SPORTING NEWS, and by a lot.
 ~~~~~~~
Along similar lines:
We happened on the last minute of a (?)game show last night just as the
emcee was saying, "Put a pat of butter on it.  This show is toast!"
A. Murie