Danny Gardella
| Danny Gardella | |||
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| Outfielder | |||
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Born: February 26, 1920 New York City |
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Died: March 6, 2005 (aged 85) Yonkers, New York |
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 14, 1944, for the New York Giants | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| April 20, 1950, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .267 | ||
| Home runs | 24 | ||
| Runs batted in | 85 | ||
| Teams | |||
Daniel Lewis Gardella (February 26, 1920 – March 6, 2005) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Giants (1944–45) and St. Louis Cardinals (1950). Born in New York City, he batted and threw left-handed. He is known as one of the handful of American Major League players who "jumped" their organized baseball teams to play in the "outlaw" Mexican League in 1946. (Others included Sal Maglie, Max Lanier and Mickey Owen.)
Known more for his on-field antics than his playing ability, Gardella would often walk on his hands, and perform other acrobatic stunts. He was also one of the first players to train with weights. Nevertheless, he was the first major league player who challenged baseball's reserve clause in an early chapter in the labor-management skirmishes that brought free agency and multimillion-dollar player contracts.
In a three-season career, Gardella compiled a .267 batting average with 24 home runs and 85 RBI in 169 games. His most productive season came in 1945, when he hit .272 with 18 home runs and 71 RBI in 121 games. In that season, some of his teammates included Ernie Lombardi, Mel Ott, Joe Medwick and Bill Voiselle.
But in 1946, the Giants were interested in players returning from World War II military service. Gardella had been offered US$4,500 to play for the Giants and $10,000 to play in Mexico. He joined the Mexican League, whose generous salaries also attracted major leaguers including pitchers Sal Maglie, Alex Carrasquel and Max Lanier and catcher Mickey Owen. In response, Commissioner Happy Chandler imposed a ban of at least five years on all the players who had gone to the Mexican League for violating the reserve clause. Shortstop Vern Stephens also joined the exodus but immediately returned before the season started to escape the sanction. The first player to learn of Chandler's seriousness was Owen, who returned the same year, asked for clemency, and was refused.
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