Dave Orr
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David L. "Dave" Orr (September 29, 1859 – June 2, 1915) was an American
first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
from 1883 through 1890. Orr played most of his career in the American Association for the
New York Metropolitans The Metropolitan Club (New York Metropolitans or the Mets) was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887. (The ''New York Metropolitan Baseball Club'' was the name chosen in 1961 for the New York M ...
(1883–1887), Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1888) and Columbus Solons (1889). He also played for the
New York Gothams The New York Giants were a Major League Baseball team in the National League that began play in the season as the New York Gothams and became known as the Giants in . They continued as the New York Giants until the team moved to San Francisc ...
in the
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
for one game in 1883 and for the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders of the
Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded American professional baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Pr ...
in 1890. Orr was one of the best hitters in baseball during his major league career. He never hit below .305 for a full season, and his career
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .342 is the eleventh highest in major league history, and the third highest for a right-handed hitter. He was also regarded as the hardest-hitting batsman of his era. His 31 triples in 1886 was a major league record that stood for 25 years and has only been exceeded once. He was also the first batter to compile more than 300
total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hit (baseball), hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single (baseball), single, 2 for a double (baseball), double, 3 for a triple (baseball), triple and 4 ...
in a season, and he was the first player with at least 3,000 plate appearances to retire with a
slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...
above .500 (.502). Despite his weight (250 pounds at ), Orr was also a solid defensive performer with a .973 fielding average. He twice led the American Association in range factor by a first baseman. In 1886, he led the Association's first basemen in
putout In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tag ...
s and fielding percentage, and in 1889 he led in assists with 61. Orr hit .371 in 1890, but his career was cut short by a stroke suffered during an exhibition game at the end of the 1890 season.


Early years

Orr was born in
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, in 1859. His father was an Irish immigrant who worked as a brownstone stonecutter. Orr grew up in Brooklyn and began his baseball career playing for minor league teams, including the Brooklyn Alaskas and teams in
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, and
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
.


Professional baseball


New York Gothams

In 1883, Orr signed with the
New York Gothams The New York Giants were a Major League Baseball team in the National League that began play in the season as the New York Gothams and became known as the Giants in . They continued as the New York Giants until the team moved to San Francisc ...
of the National League. He made his major league debut with the Gothams on May 17, 1883. He played in only one game for the Gothams and was then transferred to the
New York Metropolitans The Metropolitan Club (New York Metropolitans or the Mets) was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887. (The ''New York Metropolitan Baseball Club'' was the name chosen in 1961 for the New York M ...
. Both teams were under common ownership by the Metropolitan Exhibition Company.


New York Metropolitans

Orr spent most of his career with the
New York Metropolitans The Metropolitan Club (New York Metropolitans or the Mets) was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887. (The ''New York Metropolitan Baseball Club'' was the name chosen in 1961 for the New York M ...
of the American Association. He joined the Metropolitans during the 1883 season and served as the team's first baseman through the 1887 season.


1884 season

In 1884, Orr's first complete season in the major leagues, he had arguably the best year of his career. He won the American Association batting crown with a .354
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
and also led the association with 112
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
(RBI), 162 hits, and 247
total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hit (baseball), hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single (baseball), single, 2 for a double (baseball), double, 3 for a triple (baseball), triple and 4 ...
. Despite hitting a career high nine
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s, Orr narrowly missed a Triple Crown as Long John Reilly hit 11 home runs.


1885 season

In his second full season in the major leagues, Orr compiled a .342 batting average, 56 extra base hits, and 241 total bases, ranking second in the American Association in all three categories. He led the association with a .543 slugging percentage, 21 triples, and a 5.5 offensive wins above replacement (WAR) rating. On June 12, 1885 Orr
hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...
for the first time in his career; he accomplished the feat again on August 10, 1887.


1886 season

In 1886, had career highs with 136 games, 593 plate appearances, 93 runs, 31 triples, and 301 total bases. His .338 batting average was the third best in the American Association, and he became the first player to reach 300
total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hit (baseball), hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single (baseball), single, 2 for a double (baseball), double, 3 for a triple (baseball), triple and 4 ...
in a season. He led the association in hits (193), total bases (301), extra base hits (63), triples (31), slugging percentage (.527). His 31 triples was a major league record for 25 years (it remains the second highest in major league history). Orr also had the highest offensive WAR rating (5.4) and the highest overall WAR rating (6.3) among position players in the American Association. Orr also had an excellent season as a fielder in 1886. He led the association's first basemen in
fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...
(.981), putouts (1,445), assists (61), and range factor (10.88). Despite Orr's contributions, the Metropolitans finished seventh in the American Association with a 53–82 record.


1887 season

In 1887, despite multiple injuries, Orr had another fine season. His .338 batting average was third best in the American Association. In April 1887, Orr sustained serious injuries and reported to be in critical condition after colliding with catcher Andy Sommers, as both players were pursuing a batted ball. Orr's injuries included a dislocated knee, a badly bruised breast, his front teeth broken off, his tongue bitten through, and hemorrhaging. He remained out of the lineup until the middle of May. The Metropolitans started the 1887 record with a 6–24 record. On June 2, 1887, the manager was fired, and Orr took over on an interim basis as player-manager and captain. In his first game as manager on June 3, 1887, Orr had to be carried off the field after a blood vessel in his leg burst while sliding into second base.


Miscellaneous

Orr used an unorthodox batting stance that was described by one newspaper reporter as follows:
"Big Dave Orr has a position which seems utterly at variance with all the rules of batting. Instead of standing in the center of the plate he takes his place at the extreme edge furthest from the pitcher and almost behind it, in fact. His feet are placed in a most peculiar way. The toes of the right foot point almost toward second base, and the heel is placed in the hollow of the left. He swings his body forward, moving his feet but a few inches, all the swing he gives his bat seeming to come from the upper part of his body."
During the off-season, Orr worked as a
butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...
and a
brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Ty ...
cutter.


Brooklyn Bridegrooms

On October 20, 1887, Orr was sold to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms along with seven other players. He signed a contract with Brooklyn the following month. Orr appeared in 99 games for the 1888 Brooklyn team and had the fifth highest batting average (.305) in the American Association. He was also among the league leaders in fielding percentage, assists by a third baseman, and fielding runs. Brooklyn finished the 1888 season in second place in the American Association with a record of 88–52. In December 1888, the Bridegrooms sold Orr and
Al Mays Albert C. Mays (May 17, 1865 – May 7, 1905) was an American baseball pitcher. He played five seasons in Major League Baseball for the Louisville Colonels (1885), New York Metropolitans (1886–1887), Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1888), Columbus Solon ...
to the Columbus Solons for $3,000. In January 1889, '' Sporting Life'' published a poem about Orr, which went as follows:


Columbus Solons

Orr appeared in 134 games for the Columbus Solons in 1889. His .327 batting average was the fourth best in the American Association, and he was also among the association's leaders in hits (183), total bases (250), doubles (31), triples (12), and RBIs (87). Although playing for Columbus, Orr helped Brooklyn win the 1889 American Association pennant. On the last day of the season, Brooklyn needed St. Louis to lose in order to win the pennant. Columbus played St. Louis in that final game of the season, and Orr came to bat with the score tied and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. With four balls and two strikes having been called, Orr hit a home run that Hugh Fullerton later wrote was "perhaps the most historic hit ever made." Fullerton described the situation as follows:
"There was a situation for fair – one to dream about! One ball to decide a pennant! The pitcher heaved up the ball and Orr swung. There was a crack and the ball started toward the city. It crossed the right center field fence still going higher. It crossed the canal, hit just above the second-story window of a cottage, bounded and rolled up an alley – and Comiskey's men yielded the pennant."
Orr reportedly hit the historic home run against St. Louis with the bat that he famously named "Charlotte." Orr had three bats that he had named Charlotte, Gertrude, and Rose. Charlotte was his favorite, and a sports writer later recalled "the big fellow certainly could clout the ball when she was in his hands."


Brooklyn Ward's Wonders

On January 22, 1890, Orr signed with the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders in the newly formed
Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded American professional baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Pr ...
. Orr helped lead Brooklyn to second place in the league with a 76–56 record. In June 1890, Orr became the first Brooklyn player to hit the ball over the left field fence at
Eastern Park Eastern Park was a baseball park in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York in the 1890s. It was bounded by Eastern Parkway—later renamed Pitkin Avenue when Eastern Parkway was diverted—to the north (home plate); the Long Island ...
. On June 17, 1890, Orr had two ribs broken when he was hit by a pitch, "but continued to play until he was threatened with
erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright- red rash, ...
." Though he had been expected to miss the remainder of the 1890 season, he returned to the lineup on July 7. Orr batted .359 in 48 games before the injury and improved to .397 in 59 games after the injury. He finished second in a close race with Pete Browning for the batting championship. In early September 1890, ''Sporting Life'' observed: "Big Dave Orr is batting like great guns, and is keeping the leader, Browning, guessing. How the two must watch for each other's score day after day!" Despite appearing in only 107 games in 1890 and still ranked among the Players' League leaders in batting average (.371), RBIs (124), slugging percentage (.534), hits (172), total bases (248), and doubles (32). He also led the league with an at bat to strikeout ratio of 42.2.


Stroke

In September 1890, Orr sustained a
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
while playing in an exhibition game in Renovo, Pennsylvania.McKenna, Brian. ''Early exits: the premature endings of baseball careers'', Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, p. 202. He was paralyzed on his left side, but by January 1891, he was reportedly "able to walk out on pleasant days." In September 1891, 4,000 tickets were sold for "a grand benefit picnic" held in Orr's honor at Euler's Washington Park, the home of the Brooklyn baseball club. Former teammates, including
John Montgomery Ward John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925), also known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author. Ward, of English des ...
attended, and the park was lit with Chinese lanterns, a marching band led a parade, and a dance platform was "festooned with flags." A newspaper account stated that "Dave's big right hand finally grew tired of wagging. His left was there, too, but it has not done duty for almost a year and this is why he was given a picnic." In March 1892, Orr traveled to Florida to umpire exhibition games. He announced that, although one leg was still "somewhat affected by paralysis", he was contemplating a comeback in 1893. He was not able to return to the game as a player.


Accolades

Though largely forgotten in the modern era, Orr was remembered by both fellow players and sports writers as one of the greatest hitters of the 19th century. In 1894,
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
inductee
Dan Brouthers Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (; May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in . Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was and weighed , w ...
opined that Orr was the greatest hitter to ever play the game:
"The greatest hitter that ever played ball was old Dave Orr. He didn't care whether they were over the plate or not. If they were within reach of that long bat of his he would hit them out, and when he hit them there was no telling whether they would be found again or not. I have always held that Dave Orr was the strongest and best hitter that ever played ball."
Pitcher Silver King broke his wrist when he was struck with a ball hit by Orr. He later recalled: "Dave could crack 'em at you like a shot, and the one I stopped had all of Dave's 200-pound
avoirdupois Avoirdupois (; abbreviated avdp.) is a measurement system of weights that uses pounds and ounces as units. It was first commonly used in the 13th century AD and was updated in 1959. In 1959, by international agreement, the definitions of the p ...
good and hard up against it." In 1898, the editor of '' Sporting Life'' recalled Orr once hitting a ball over the fence (400 feet from home plate) and wrote: "Dave Orr, that broad chested, good-natured big chap, who once held down a place on the Brooklyn team, in his day was the hardest hitting batsman in League or Association. I have seen him wallop a ball so far over the outfielders' heads that it took a search warrant to get it back again, and every third baseman crossed himself and muttered the last prayers of the dying whenever he stalked to the plate." Years later, another account in ''Sporting Life'' observed: "He was a mighty slugger and his home-run drives earned him the reputation of being the greatest batter in the world." In his eight-season career, Orr posted a .342
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(1125-for-3289) with 37
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s and 627 RBI in 791
games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...
. He added 536 runs, 198 doubles, 108
triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...
and 66
stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...
s.


Later years

While Orr was not able to resume his playing career, he remained active in baseball in other capacities. He worked for many years as a gate-keeper at the
Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...
in
Upper Manhattan Upper Manhattan is the northern section of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary has been variously defined, but some of the most common usages are 96th Street, 110th Street (the northern boundary of Central Park), 1 ...
, then as caretaker at
Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Dodgers baseball tea ...
in 1913, and finally managing the press box at Washington Park (home field of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops) from 1914 until the time of his death. Orr died at his niece's home at 1211 Stuthoff Avenue in the Richmond Hill section of the New York City
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
of
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
in June 1915. On learning of Orr's death, Brooklyn sports writer Abe Yager wrote: "Dave Orr is no more. A finer soul never breathed in any walk of life and he was a credit to the profession. In a talk on general subjects the last time he was in the press box at Washington Park, the veteran remarked that he never said anything derogatory against anybody, and that was true. The writer knew him 25 years and never heard him say a harsh word to anybody."


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball player-managers Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Founded in 1869, it is composed of 30 Current Major League Baseball franchises, teams. Each team in the league has a manager (baseball), manager, wh ...
*
List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders In baseball, a run batted in (RBI) is awarded to a Batting (baseball), batter for each Baserunning, runner who Run (baseball), scores as a result of the batter's action, including a Hit (baseball), hit, fielder's choice, sacrifice fly, bases load ...
*
List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders In baseball, a Triple (baseball), triple is recorded when the ball is hit so that the Batting (baseball), batter is able to advance all the way to third base, Run (baseball), scoring any Baserunning, runners who were already on base, with no Erro ...
*
List of Major League Baseball triples records There are various Major League Baseball records for triples. 175 career triples Closest active players There are no active players that are considered close to realistically reaching 175 career triples. As of April 2023, there are no active pl ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders In baseball, a Triple (baseball), triple is a hit in which the batter advances to third base in one play, with neither the benefit of a Error (baseball), fielding error nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice. Triples were more com ...
*
List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle In baseball, completing hitting for the cycle, the cycle is the accomplishment of hit (baseball), hitting a single (baseball), single, a double (baseball), double, a triple (baseball), triple, and a home run in the same game. In terms of freque ...
*
List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders In baseball, a Hit (baseball), hit is credited to a Batting (baseball), batter when he reaches first base – or Extra-base hit, any subsequent base – Safe (baseball), safely after hitting a fair ball, without the benefit of an Error (baseball) ...


References


Further reading

*


External links

, o
Retrosheet
via The Deadball Era * {{DEFAULTSORT:Orr, Dave Brooklyn Bridegrooms players Brooklyn Ward's Wonders players Columbus Solons players New York Gothams players New York Metropolitans players New York Metropolitans managers Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball player-managers 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Brooklyn 1859 births 1915 deaths Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)