Who He Was: Played 1880 to 1897 for the Troy Trojans, New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Browns Ask a baseball fan about those who have held the treasured career home run record and theyre likely to know that Babe Ruth was the home run king for decades until Hank Aaron broke the record in the 1970s and Barry Bonds (with a little help from his pharmaceutical friends) later surpassed Aarons mark. But have you ever wondered who held the record before Babe Ruth and his successors? That would be Roger Connor, a hard-hitting first baseman who played his best years with the New York Giants and retired with 138 lifetime home runs, a number that doesnt sound impressive by todays standards but stood for 23 years in an era when homers didnt happen nearly as often as they now do. Connor was a great all-around batter, a career .316 hitter who accumulated such superb stats as 1620 runs, 2467 hits, 233 triples (fifth all-time), and 1323 RBI.