Roger Connor
City of Rensselaer, Rensselaer County, New York
Marker Inscription
On this site Sept. 10, 1881 Roger Connor Of the Troy National League Club Hit the first grand slam in Major League baseball history. Troy 8 Worster Ruby Legs 7 Elected into the Hall of Fame in 1976.
The Story
On September 10, 1881, in the young days of the National League, Troy's own Roger Connor came to bat with the bases loaded and drove in four runs at once — the first grand slam in Major League history — lifting the Troy club past the Worcester Ruby Legs 8–7. Connor was a towering slugger for his era, and his power at the plate made him one of the game's early stars during the rough-and-tumble Gilded Age when professional baseball was still finding its footing. He would go on to a career so distinguished that the Hall of Fame enshrined him in 1976, long after his playing days. This marker fixes the spot where one of baseball's enduring milestones was set.
Why it matters
Baseball became America's national pastime in exactly this era, and the grand slam Roger Connor hit here entered the permanent record of a game woven deep into the country's culture.
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Related people
- · Roger Connor
Related events
- · First grand slam in Major League Baseball history (September 10, 1881)
Themes & tags
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