Danny Gardella

Daniel Lewis Gardella

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7½", Weight 160 lb.
• High School Theodore Roosevelt High School (New York)
• Debut May 14, 1944
• Final Game April 20, 1950
• Born February 26, 1920 in New York, NY USA
• Died March 6, 2005 in Yonkers, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Danny Gardella played for the New York Giants in 1944 and 1945, hitting .272 with 18 homers and 71 RBIs the second year. In 1946, he jumped to the Mexican League and was banned from the majors by Commissioner Happy Chandler. The next year, he filed a federal lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause. In the light of the legal challenge, Chandler revoked Gardella's ban, and Gardella dropped his lawsuit. He played in just one more big league game, with the St. Louis Cardinals, in 1950. He was also a talented opera singer.

He was known for practicing with an iron bat to strengthen his muscles. Gardella died on March 6, 2005 at age 85 of congestive heart failure.

His brother, Al Gardella, played in a handful of games for the 1945 Giants.

Further Reading

• David Mandell: "Danny Gardella and the Reserve Clause", in The National Pastime - A Review of Baseball History, Society for American Baseball Research, Cleveland, OH, number 26 (May, 2006), pp. 41-44.
• Charlie Weatherby: "Danny Gardella", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: Van Lingle Mungo: The Man, The Song, The Players, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 39-44. ISBN 978-1-933599-76-2

Related Sites

• Danny Gardella at the SABR Bio Project