Editing Roger Connor (section)

===Early years (1880–1889)===
In Connor's first year with the Troy Trojans, he teamed with future Hall of Fame players [[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 player-manager [[Bob Ferguson (infielder)|Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson]]. Though Connor, Ferguson and Welch were regularly in the lineup, the other future stars each played in only a handful of the team's 83 games that season. The team finished in fourth place with a 41–42 [[win–loss record]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TRO/1880.shtml 1880 Statistics and Roster, 1880 Troy Trojans]. [[Baseball-Reference.com]].</ref> Connor committed 60 errors in 83 games and sustained a shoulder injury, prompting a position change to [[first baseman]] for 1881.<ref name=Bock/>

He later played for the [[New York Gothams]], and, due to his great stature, gave that team the enduring nickname "Giants". Connor hit baseball's first [[grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]] on September 10, 1881, at Riverfront Park in [[Rensselaer, New York|Rensselaer]], New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/september-10-1881-roger-connor-s-ultimate-grand-slam|title=September 10, 1881: Roger Connor's 'ultimate' grand slam|work=sabr.org|author=John R. Husman|access-date=March 9, 2020}}</ref> His grand slam came with two outs and his team down three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, a situation known today as a [[walk-off home run]]. [[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&nbsp;[[triple (baseball)|triples]] and [[stolen base|stole]] 244 bases despite his size (6&nbsp;feet 3 inches and 200 pounds)."<ref>{{cite news|author=Vecsey, George|title=Baseball: Going deep in history|date=May 14, 2007|work=[[The New York Times]]
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/14/sports/14iht-HOMERS.1.5698697.html?_r=0
|access-date=November 3, 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Roger Connor (baseball player).jpg|thumb|right|[[Roger Connor]] with the [[New York Gothams]], circa 1887.]]

He led the NL with a .371 average in 1885. On September 11, 1886, Connor hit a ball completely out of the Polo Grounds, a very difficult park in which to hit home runs. He hit the pitch from Boston's [[Old Hoss Radbourn]] 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."<ref>''Land of the Giants: New York's Polo Grounds'', Stew Thornley (2000), Temple University Press, {{ISBN|1-56639-796-0}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=_4hXOpP-TJQC&pg=PA26&sig=jqShF2cJG9nKliCQTcJ3EKx-Ch4&dq=roger+connor+%22September+11,+1886%22+%22Roger+Connor+became+the+first+batter+to+hit+a+home+run+entirely+out+of+the+Polo+Grounds+on+September+11,+1886.+%22  Excerpt  pg. 26]</ref> A group of fans with the [[New York Stock Exchange]] took up a collection for Connor and bought him a $500 gold watch in honor of the home run.<ref name=Bock>{{cite news|last=Bock|first=Hal|title=Connor was baseball's first home run king|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2007-07-20-3879178360_x.htm|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=November 3, 2013|date=July 20, 2007}}</ref>