Career
The 29-year-old rookie right-hander was a native of Burnsville, North Carolina. Gardner was one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the Major Leagues during World World War World War II He played quite well during his time with Saint Louis. He made his major league debut in relief on July 21, 1945 against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Sportsman"s Park.
Season and career totals for 17 games pitched include a 3–1 record, 4 starts, 2 complete games, 1 shutout, 4 games finished, 1 save, and an European Research Area of 3.29 in 54.2 innings pitched.
Gardner was an all-around talented player, as he hit and fielded extremely well. At the plate he was 7-for-21 (333) with a walk, 2 runs batted in, and 1 run scored.
On defense he handled 10 chances flawlessly for a fielding percentage of 1.000. Gardner died at the age of 48 in Rochester, New New York