William Lawrence Gardner

1969 - Vermont Hall of Famer: World Series Hero

William Lawrence Gardner (May 13, 1886 – March 11, 1976) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1908 through 1924, Gardner played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Indians. He was a four-time World Series champion. He played most of his prime in the dead-ball era, as the third baseman on several successful Red Sox teams. He helped the Red Sox to victories in the 1912, 1915, and 1916 World Series. He is the only batter to end a World Series with a sacrifice fly. His best season was 1921, when he achieved career-highs in batting average (.319), RBIs (120), runs scored (101), and hits (187). Gardner was inducted into Vermont’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1969. After his retirement, he returned to the University of Vermont as a baseball coach and athletic director from 1929 to 1951.