Dave Orr

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]] inductee [[Dan Brouthers]] 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."{{cite news|title=Why They Win: Big Dan Brouthers Airs Himself in Print|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=September 22, 1894|page=6|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1894/VOL_23_NO_26/SL2326006.pdf}}

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]] inductee [[Dan Brouthers]] 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."{{cite news|title=Why They Win: Big Dan Brouthers Airs Himself in Print|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=September 22, 1894|page=6|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1894/VOL_23_NO_26/SL2326006.pdf}}

Pitcher [[Silver King (baseball)|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 {{convert|200|lb|m|adj=on}} [[avoirdupois]] good and hard up against it."{{cite news|title=A Singular Thing: A Player Who Didn't Know a Limb Was Broken|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=May 1, 1897|page=18|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1897/VOL_29_NO_06/SL2906018.pdf}}

Pitcher [[Silver King (baseball)|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 {{convert|200|lb|kg|adj=on}} [[avoirdupois]] good and hard up against it."{{cite news|title=A Singular Thing: A Player Who Didn't Know a Limb Was Broken|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=May 1, 1897|page=18|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1897/VOL_29_NO_06/SL2906018.pdf}}

In 1898, the editor of ''[[Sporting Life (American newspaper)|Sporting Life]]'' recalled Orr once hitting a ball over the fence ({{convert|400|ft|m}} 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."{{cite news|title=Brooklyn Budget: A Chapter on Some Batting Performances; Orr, Ewing, Breathers, Anderson and Lajoie: The Heroes of Long-Hitting Feats Which Stamp Them as the Hardest Hitters the Game Produced|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=December 17, 1898|page=6|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1898/VOL_32_NO_13/SL3213006.pdf}} 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 1898, the editor of ''[[Sporting Life (American newspaper)|Sporting Life]]'' recalled Orr once hitting a ball over the fence ({{convert|400|ft|m}} 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."{{cite news|title=Brooklyn Budget: A Chapter on Some Batting Performances; Orr, Ewing, Breathers, Anderson and Lajoie: The Heroes of Long-Hitting Feats Which Stamp Them as the Hardest Hitters the Game Produced|newspaper=Sporting Life|date=December 17, 1898|page=6|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1898/VOL_32_NO_13/SL3213006.pdf}} 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."