Cubs historical sleuthing: Ernie Banks sets a record edition

This Getty Images photo came with the following information:

Chicago Cubs teammates greet Ernie Banks as he crosses home plate. This is Banks 40th home run of the season, setting a record for shortstops.

That makes this fairly easy, so let me fill you in on the details.

Ernie Banks set this record in his second full season, 1955. The previous record, 39, had been set by Red Sox shortstop Vern Stephens in 1949. Stephens followed that up with a 30-homer season in 1950.

That was unusual. At the time, Stephens was the only MLB shortstop to hit 30 or more home runs in a season. Shortstops weren’t expected to hit for power, or even hit much at all, in that era. If they played solid defense that was…