Know Who Held the Home Run Record Before Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth?

http://www.mentalfloss.com/library_sports.htm ^

[utahguy]

Most Americans know Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth ... but who was Roger Connor?

He was a member of the New York Giants teams of 1888 and 1889 that won back-to-back National League championships, but his real place in history, the one that puts his name up there with Aaron and Ruth, concerned his home run hitting ability. He never hit more than 17 homers in a season, and only led the league once, but the four-baggers he did hit put him in prized company.

Connor was the first to hit a ball over the outfield wall at the original Polo Grounds in New York. And on September 10, 1881, he hit a dramatic home run with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning — the first grand slam in major league history.

To top things off, Connor ended his career in 1897 with 138 career home runs, more than anyone had ever hit. In an era when even the best players rarely hit double-digit home runs in a season, this was a phenomenal total. Connor's record stood until 1921, when a young star by the name of Babe Ruth eclipsed it on his way to 714.

Oddly, no one was aware of Connor's original record until Hank Aaron broke Ruth's total in 1974, after which researchers decided to find out who held the record prior to the Babe. When they discovered his identity, Connor was finally elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976 — almost 80 years after he played his last game.

[unbalanced but fair]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to see if my baseball history "authority" nephew knows this one.