Joe Willis Bauman (April 16, 1922 – September 20, 2005) was an American first baseman in professional baseball who played primarily in the low minor leagues.

He is best remembered for his time with the Roswell Rockets of the Class C Longhorn League, for whom he hit 72 home runs in 1954,[1] setting a professional baseball record that stood until 2001.

Born in Welch, Oklahoma, he threw and batted left-handed, stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighed 235 pounds (107 kg).

Fans from western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle flocked to watch him knock home runs over the unique red rock wall of Ackley Park.

During that year, his triple crown stats were .375-50-157, good enough to lead the league in homers, RBI, and walks (148).

He hit 35 doubles, 3 triples, and 72 home runs – the latter, a professional baseball record[1][5] that stood until Barry Bonds topped it in 2001.

[2] Roswell was a small town, and Bauman was the biggest local attraction since the 1947 crash and suspected alien landing.

After each home run fans pushed dollar bills through the fence at which the game would be stopped for a few minutes to collect all the money.

Between his contracts, his business, and the cash fans gave him for home runs, Bauman made more money than some major league players.

[6] Science fiction writer Harry Turtledove made Bauman the central character of his humorous short story "The Star and the Rockets".