Roger Connor
Encyclopedia
Roger Connor was a 19th century Major League Baseball
player, born in Waterbury, Connecticut
. Known for being the player whom Babe Ruth
succeeded as the all-time home run
champion, Connor hit 138 home runs during his 18-year career, and his career home run record stood for 23 years after his retirement in 1897.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
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 (the Players' League 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
.
Connor is credited with being the first player to hit a grand slam
in the major leagues and being the first to hit an over-the-wall home run at the Polo Grounds
. His grand slam came with two outs and his team down three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. George Vecsey
, 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)."
Over a 12-year period, 1880 through 1891, Connor finished in the top ten in batting average ten times. He led the National League with a .371 average in 1885. Over an 18 year career, Connor finished in the top ten for doubles ten times, finished in the top three for triples seven times and remains fifth all-time in triples with 233. He also established his power credentials by finishing in the top ten in RBIs
ten times and top ten in homers twelve times.
In the 1880s, the Polo Grounds was considered a difficult place to hit a home run. However, on September 11, 1886, Roger Connor hit a ball completely out of the Polo Grounds, off Boston's Old Hoss Radbourn, depositing the ball over the right field fence and onto 112th Street. The New York Times reported of the feat, "He met it squarely and it soared up with the speed of a carrier pigeon. All eyes were turned on the tiny sphere as it soared over the head of Charlie Buffinton
in right field."
In Connor's first year in the Majors with the Troy Trojans, he teamed with future Hall-of-Famers Dan Brouthers
, Buck Ewing
, Tim Keefe
and Mickey Welch
, all of whom were just starting their careers. Also on that 1880 Trojans team, though much older, was Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson.
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, 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.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player, born in Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
. Known for being the player whom Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
succeeded as the all-time home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
champion, Connor hit 138 home runs during his 18-year career, and his career home run record stood for 23 years after his retirement in 1897.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
Career
Connor entered the National LeagueNational League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
in 1880 as a member of the Troy Trojans. He later played for the New York Gothams
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, and, due to his great stature, gave that team the enduring nickname "Giants". He was regularly among the league leaders in batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and home runs until his retirement in 1897. Although he only led the league in home runs once (the Players' League 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
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.
Connor is credited with being the first player to hit a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
in the major leagues and being the first to hit an over-the-wall home run at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
. His grand slam came with two outs and his team down three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. George Vecsey
George Vecsey
George Vecsey is an American non-fiction author and sports columnist for The New York Times. Vecsey is best known for his work in sports, but has co-written several autobiographies with non-sports figures.-Career:...
, in The New York Times wrote: "Roger Connor was a complete player — a deft first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and an agile base runner who hit 233 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and stole
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
244 bases despite his size (6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds)."
Over a 12-year period, 1880 through 1891, Connor finished in the top ten in batting average ten times. He led the National League with a .371 average in 1885. Over an 18 year career, Connor finished in the top ten for doubles ten times, finished in the top three for triples seven times and remains fifth all-time in triples with 233. He also established his power credentials by finishing in the top ten in RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
ten times and top ten in homers twelve times.
In the 1880s, the Polo Grounds was considered a difficult place to hit a home run. However, on September 11, 1886, Roger Connor hit a ball completely out of the Polo Grounds, off Boston's Old Hoss Radbourn, depositing the ball over the right field fence and onto 112th Street. The New York Times reported of the feat, "He met it squarely and it soared up with the speed of a carrier pigeon. All eyes were turned on the tiny sphere as it soared over the head of Charlie Buffinton
Charlie Buffinton
Charles G. Buffinton, born Buffington , was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1892...
in right field."
In Connor's first year in the Majors with the Troy Trojans, he teamed with future Hall-of-Famers Dan Brouthers
Dan Brouthers
Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in...
, Buck Ewing
Buck Ewing
William "Buck" Ewing was a Major League Baseball player and manager, and is widely regarded as the best catcher of his era and is often argued to be the best player of the 19th century...
, Tim Keefe
Tim Keefe
Timothy John "Tim" Keefe , nicknamed "Smiling Tim" and "Sir Timothy", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominating pitchers of the 19th century and posted impressive statistics in one category or another for almost every season he pitched...
and Mickey Welch
Mickey Welch
Michael Francis Welch Born as Michael Francis Walsh , nicknamed "Smiling Mickey", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the third pitcher to accumulate 300 career victories. Welch was born in Brooklyn, New York, and played 13 seasons in the major leagues, three with the Troy Trojans, and 10...
, all of whom were just starting their careers. Also on that 1880 Trojans team, though much older, was Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson.
After retiring as a player in 1897, Connor moved back to his hometown of Waterbury and managed
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
several minor league teams. He lived to see his career home run record bested by Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, although if it was celebrated, it might have been on the wrong day. At one time, Connor's record was thought to be 131, 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.
See also
- 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
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- Hitting for the cycleHitting for the cycleIn baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
- List of Major League Baseball triples records
- 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