About Danny Gardella
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 1944 to 1945. 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. Gardella was a longshoreman at the Jersey City naval shipyard when he was discovered by a Giants scout in 1944, as a player on a semipro shipyard team. Veracruz manager Ramón Bragaña chose to play Gardella, naturally a left fielder, at first base.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.