Question 4: Was the player in question active during what is referred to as the live ball era, that is, since 1920?
Yes.
Aside from those previously eliminated, 65 Hall of Famers completed their careers prior to 1920. That number includes some great – for their era – sluggers.
Sam Thompson hit 126 home runs for the Phillies and Detroit Nationals between 1885 and 1898, twice leading the league.
Roger Connor was the pre-eminent 19th Century slugger, hitting 138 home runs – almost all of them for the Giants — between 1880 and 1897. That, by the way, was the MLB career record prior to the arrival of Babe Ruth.
It also eliminates some early Negro Leagues stars, notably Oscar Charleston. He debuted with the Indianapolis ABCs as an 18-year-old in 1915, and within a few years was recognized as the best player not involved in what at the time were the recognized major leagues.
Historians have since credited Charleston with 211 official home runs, although as with many Negro League players his actual totals may never be known.
Finally, it eliminates John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, a pre-Negro League Black Baseball star voted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. Between 1903 and World War I, Lloyd played with many teams that made their collective living barnstorming the country. But given the scarcity of records of such teams, we really do not know how many home runs he hit.