Connor, Roger - WaterburyLife.com

Connor, Roger Francis
Professional Baseball Player

All or part of this article was written by artificial intelligence.

Article and picture above from
La verita'
August 10, 1929

Roger
“The Home Run King”
Connor

Roger “the Homerun King” Connor, born on July 1st, 1857, at the Abrigado in Waterbury, was a professional Major League Baseball player. Connor played professionally for the Waterbury Monitors, the Troy Trojans, the New York Gothams, the New York Giants (in the National League), and the New York Giants (in the Players’ League). Connor held the all-time home run record during his career and for 23 years after he retired from baseball. His record was broken by the famous George Herman “Babe” Ruth, who played in many more games than Connor.

Connor was of intimidating stature, and it is his stature and dominance in the game that gave the Gothams the nickname Giants, which, later, prompted the team to change their name to the New York Giants. Connor hit professional baseball’s first ever grand-slam - which happened when his team was down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs against them - at the Polo Grounds, which is known as a very difficult homerun park.

Connor, brother of baseball great Joseph Francis Connor, was one of a handful of Waterbury natives who is listed by SportsEdge.com as one of Connecticut's athletes of all time. Connor was also inducted into the national Baseball Hall of Fame.