It takes just the right amount of talent, bad luck and stubborn love of the game to set a career record in professional baseball's minor leagues.
Mike Hessman has all three.
A few days ago, during a triple-A game at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, Hessman sent a towering shot over the left field fence to give the hometown Mud Hens a 4-1 lead over the Rochester Red Wings. It was his 15th home run of the season, the 432nd of his career, and it tied Buzz Arlett's 88-year-old record for most home runs in the United States' minor leagues.