<P> Roger Connor (July 1, 1857--January 4, 1931) was a 19th - century Major League Baseball (MLB) player . He played for several teams, but his longest tenure was in New York, where he was responsible for the New York Gothams becoming known as the Giants . He was 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 . </P> <P> Connor owned and managed minor league baseball teams after his playing days . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by its Veterans Committee in 1976 . Largely forgotten after his retirement, Connor was buried in an unmarked grave until a group of citizens raised money for a grave marker in 2001 . </P> <P> Connor was born in Waterbury, Connecticut . He was the son of Irish immigrants Mortimer Connor and Catherine Sullivan Connor . His father had arrived in the United States only five years before Roger's birth . The family lived in the Irish section of Waterbury, known as the Abrigador district, which was separated from the rest of the city by a large granite hill . Connor was the third of eleven children born to the family, though two did not survive childhood . Connor left school around age 12 to work with his father at the local brass works . </P> <P> Connor entered professional baseball with the Waterbury Monitors of the Eastern League in 1876 . Though he was left - handed, Connor was initially a third baseman; in early baseball, left - handed third basemen were more common than they are in modern baseball . He came to the National League (NL) in 1880 as a member of the Troy Trojans . </P>

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