Roger Connor
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| Roger Connor | ||
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.jpg/200px-Roger_Connor_(baseball_player).jpg) |
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| First baseman | ||
| Born: July 1, 1857 Waterbury, Connecticut |
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| Died: January 4, 1931 (aged 73) Waterbury, Connecticut |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | ||
| May 1, 1880 for the Troy Trojans |
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| Final game | ||
| May 18, 1897 for the St. Louis Browns |
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| Career statistics | ||
| AVG | .317 | |
| HR | 138 | |
| RBI | 1,322 | |
| Teams | ||
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As Player
As Manager |
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Elected | 1976 | |
| Election Method | Veteran's Committee | |
Roger Connor (July 1, 1857 – January 4, 1931) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. Connor is well-known for being the player whom Babe Ruth passed when Ruth became the all-time home run champion. Connor hit 138 home runs during his 18-year career, and his record stood for 23 years after his retirement in 1897.
Connor entered the National League in 1880 as a member of the Troy Trojans. He later played for the New York Gothams, and, due to his great stature, gave that team the enduring nickname "Giants". He was regularly among the league leaders in batting average and home runs until his retirement in 1897. Although he only led the league in home runs once, in 1890, Connor's career mark of 138 was a benchmark not surpassed until 1921 by Babe Ruth. He finished his career with a .317 batting average.[1] Connor is credited with being the first player to hit a grand slam in the major leagues[2] and being the first to hit an over-the-wall home run at the Polo Grounds. George Vescey, in The New York Times wrote: "Roger Connor was a complete player — a deft first baseman and an agile base runner who hit 233 triples and stole 244 bases despite his size (6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds)."[3]
Over a 12-year period (1880-1891) he finished in the top 10 in hitting 10 times (leading once), and, over his 18 year career, finished in the top 10 for doubles 10 times, finished in the top 3 for triples seven times (and is still the fifth all-time leader in triples), top 10 in RBIs 10 times, and top 10 in HR's 12 times.
After retiring as a player in 1897, Connor moved back to his hometown of Waterbury and managed several minor league teams. He lived to see his career home run record bested by Babe Ruth, although if it was celebrated, it might have been on the wrong day. At one time, Connor's record was thought to be 131, as per the Sporting News book Daguerreotypes. As late as the 1980s, in the MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia, it was thought to be 136. However, John Tattersall's 1975 Home Run Handbook, a SABR publication, credited Connor with 138. Both MLB.com and the independent Baseball-Reference.com now consider Connor's total to be 138.
Connor was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
[edit] See also
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- Hitting for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
[edit] References
- ^ Baseball Almanac, accessed May 2007.
- ^ A home run hit on September 10, 1881, according to The New York Times, May 13, 2007, "Sports", p. 3.
- ^ New York Times, May 13, 2007, "Sports", p. 3.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Major league career managerial statistics from Baseball-Reference
- baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page
- Roger Connor at Find A Grave
| Preceded by King Kelly |
National League Batting Champion 1885 |
Succeeded by King Kelly |
| Preceded by Harry Stovey |
Career home run record holder 1895-1920 |
Succeeded by Babe Ruth |
| Preceded by Cap Anson |
National League RBI Champion 1889 |
Succeeded by Oyster Burns |
| Preceded by Chris Von der Ahe |
St. Louis Browns Manager 1896 |
Succeeded by Tommy Dowd |
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