Roger Connor
From BR Bullpen
Roger Connor
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
- Debut May 1, 1880
- Final Game May 18, 1897
- Born July 1, 1857 in Waterbury, CT USA
- Died January 4, 1931 in Waterbury, CT USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1976
[edit] Biographical Information
Roger Connor was one of the 19th century's great hitters and also had one of the longest careers in the 19th Century, with nearly 8,000 at-bats over an 18-year career.
His first experience with baseball was on the sandlots and then with the New Bedford, MA team in 1874. After his major league days he was a player-manager for Waterbury in the Eastern League.
He broke into the majors with the 1880 Troy Trojans at age 22, playing alongside the young Dan Brouthers, who was the same age, and Buck Ewing, who was two years younger.
Connor led the league in batting once and slugging twice, and was often among league leaders in various categories.
Standing 6 ' 3 " tall, he was one of the players who helped to give the "Giants" their name. He played in New York for more than half his career.
The most similar player is his teammate and contemporary Dan Brouthers. Connor and Brouthers were born within a year of each other in the 1850's and died within a couple years of each other in the 1930's.
- He held the record for most career home runs from 1895, when he passed Harry Stovey, until Babe Ruth broke it in 1921. Connor finished with 138, and Ruth eventually set a new mark of 714.
- He hit baseball's first ever Walk-Off Grand Slam. Added bonus: his team was down by 3 runs at the time.
He is the brother of Joe Connor.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL Batting Average Leader (1885)
- NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1885)
- 2-time League Slugging Percentage Leader (1889/NL & 1890/PL)
- PL OPS Leader (1890)
- NL Hits Leader (1885)
- NL Total Bases Leader (1885)
- NL Singles Leader (1885)
- NL Doubles Leader (1892)
- 2-times NL Triples Leader (1882 & 1886)
- PL Home Runs Leader (1890)
- NL RBI Leader (1889)
- NL Bases on Balls Leader (1888)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 4 (1887, 1889, 1890 & 1893)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 8 (1885-1887 & 1889-1893)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1976
| Preceded by Harry Diddlebock | St. Louis Browns Manager 1896 | Succeeded by Tommy Dowd |
