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Daniel Lewis Gardella (February 26, 1920 – March 6, 2005) was an American professional baseball player who played most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a left fielder with the New York Giants from to . Born in New York City, he batted and threw left-handed.
Gardella is best known as one of the handful of MLB players who "jumped" their organized baseball teams to play in the "outlaw" Mexican League in 1946. After being blacklisted by Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler, Gardella filed suit against MLB, arguing that the reserve clause (and by extension, MLB's antitrust exemption) was illegal. The case, which was settled out of court, preceded the Seitz decision that would eventually guarantee MLB players free agency.
Known more for his on-field antics than his playing ability, Gardella would often walk on his hands, and perform other Acrobatics stunts. He was also one of the first players to train with weight training. 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 agent and multimillion-dollar player contracts.
Three days later, Gardella announced he had accepted an $13,000 offer to play in Mexico; the outfielder had met and befriended Mexican League president Jorge Pasquel over the offseason at a New York gym. Pasquel had also made generous offers to other major leaguers; Sal Maglie, Alex Carrasquel and Max Lanier and catcher Mickey Owen all defected to Mexico, despite the objections of their major league clubs.
In 100 games with the Azules de Veracruz, Gardella batted .275 with 13 home runs and 64 runs batted in. Veracruz manager Ramón Bragaña chose to play Gardella, naturally a left fielder, at first base. He was named to the Mexican League All-Star Game on July 9, 1946 as part of the Southern squad, where he hit two home runs.McKelvey, pp. 91–93
Commissioner of Baseball 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.
In June 1949, faced with the prospect of a courtroom defeat, Chandler offered amnesty to the players who had gone to the Mexican League. Gardella, warned by his lawyer that he faced a long and costly legal battle, dropped his lawsuit. He said later that he received a $60,000 settlement from baseball.
Many years after Gardella faded from the baseball scene, the United States Supreme Court rejected two challenges to the reserve clause, most notably in the case, brought by outfielder Curt Flood. However, the players won free agency on December 23, 1975 after arbitrator Seitz decision, ruling in a case brought by pitchers Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith, found that players could leave their teams after playing out their contracts. Durso, Joseph. "Arbitrator Frees 2 Baseball Stars," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 24, 1975. Retrieved October 30, 2021
Reflecting on his lawsuit and his possible consequences in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1994, Gardella took pride in having brought his court challenge. "I feel I let the whole world know that the reserve clause was unfair," he said. "It had the odor of peonage, even slavery."
Gardella died from congestive heart failure in Yonkers, New York on March 6, 2005, at age 85.
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