Cardinals second baseman Rogers Hornsby, speaking with Billy Evans in today’s issue of the Pittsburgh Press, all but predicts that he will set a new National League single-season home run record this season: “When the season started, I didn’t give the matter of home runs a thought, even though I made 21 last year. However, they started to come my way rather easily and now I have the home run fever. With the season less than half over, I have 18 to my credit. Back in 1884, so the records say, Ed Williamson, playing with Chicago, made 27 home runs. That record has stood the test of all the great hitters of the National League for 38 years. I would like to break that record, and feel that I am well on the way to set a new home-run mark for a season in the National League.” In fact, Hornsby is as good as his word; he’ll catch Williamson within the month, passing him on August 5th and, in the end, he’ll leave the long-dead NL single-season leader far behind with his final total of 42.
On July 2, 1922 Cardinals second baseman Rogers Hornsby, speaking with Billy Evans in today’s issue of the Pittsburgh Press, all but predicts that he will set a new National League single-season home run record this season: “When the season started, I didn’t give the matter of home runs a thought, even though I made 21 last year. However, they started to come my way rather easily and now I have the home run fever. With the season less than half over, I have 18 to my credit. Back in 1884, so the records say, Ed Williamson, playing with Chicago, made 27 home runs. That record has stood the test of all the great hitters of the National League for 38 years. I would like to break that record, and feel that I am well on the way to set a new home-run mark for a season in the National League.” In fact, Hornsby is as good as his word; he’ll catch Williamson within the month, passing him on August 5th and, in the end, he’ll leave the long-dead NL single-season leader far behind with his final total of 42.