Billy Gardner

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William Frederick Gardner (born July 19, 1927 in Waterford, Connecticut) is an American former Major League Baseball player, coach and manager. Gardner was a scrappy light-hitting second baseman who batted and threw right-handed. Gardner played for the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox. His only significant time on any team was with the Orioles, where he had four straight full seasons with them from 1956-1959. He was also notable for managing the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals.

Gardner was signed by the Giants in 1945 and came up with them on April 22, 1954, but he could not break into the contending team's lineup. In early 1956, he was purchased by the Orioles, which is where his career really began, and he would begin to secure himself as an every-day player.

Gardner was not speedy, picking up a career-high of only 10 steals, but in his best season of 1957, he did lead the league in doubles with 36, and at bats with 644. He played in every one of the 154 games that season, batting .262 with 6 home runs and 55 RBIs. In his career, Gardner also came in the top 10 in hit by pitches twice (1956, '57), with a career-high of 8 in 1957 (5th in the league).

He wound up as a utility infielder on the powerful 1961 Yankees, winning the 1961 World Series with them against the Cincinnati Reds. In his one and only at bat of the post-season, he lined out to shortstop in the 9th inning of Game 2. The Yankees lost the game 6-2. He was never an every-day player with the Yankees, because they had Bobby Richardson to fill the second base spot. Gardner ended his career with two years on the Red Sox, picking up 70 hits with them in 283 at bats. He then remained in the Boston organization for almost a decade as a minor league coach and manager (1964; 1967-71) and major league third-base coach (1965-66).

Nicknamed "Shotgun" for his rifle arm,^[1] Gardner led American League second basemen in fielding percentage in 1957 (.987), including 55 consecutive errorless games, and finished with a .976 fielding mark all-time.

In all or parts of ten seasons, Gardner batted .237 with 41 home runs and 271 RBIs in 1034 games played. He picked up 841 hits, with 159 doubles and 18 triples in 3544 career at bats. He finished with 19 career steals.

Gardner also was a major league coach for the Montreal Expos (1977-78) and the Twins (1981). He then managed the Twins from May 23, 1981, to June 21, 1985, never leading them to the playoffs and avoiding a losing record only once (1984, at 81-81). He compiled a 268-353 record with Minnesota, but received a second chance to manage under difficult circumstances with the 1987 Royals. Gardner, a skipper from 1972-76 in the Kansas City farm system, initially signed as the Royals' 1987 third-base coach. But terminally ill Royals manager Dick Howser, diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor during the summer of 1986, was forced to retire during spring training, and Gardner was promoted to fill the vacancy. He was fired on August 28 of that year after going 62-64, and John Wathan took over. His career record as a manager was 330-417, a .442 winning percentage.

His son, Billy Gardner, Jr., a former minor league infielder, is a manager in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization. He skippered the Montgomery Biscuits in the Double-A Southern League in 2007, leading them to an 81-59, first place finish and the league playoff title.

[edit] See also

• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions

[edit] External links

• Baseball Reference