Larry Gardner
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1908-1924)
Larry Gardner was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1924 for the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,923 career games, he hit .289 with 1,931 hits, 27 home runs, and 934 RBI. His career PIV β Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact β is 11,779.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 165 lb
- Died
- 3/11/1976 in St. George, VT, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1908-06-25
- Last Game
- 1924-09-06
Full name: William Lawrence Gardner
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,923 | 6,688 | 867 | 1,931 | 301 | 129 | 27 | 934 | 165 | 654 | 434 | .289 | .355 | .384 | .739 | 11,779 |
Career AVG .289 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons β +9.6% above league average.
Career OBP .355 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons β +8.5% above league average.
Career SLG .384 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons β +9.3% above league average.
Career OPS .739 vs. league average .679 across their career seasons β +8.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | BOS | AL | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .300 | β | β | β | β | 0.0 |
| 1909 | BOS | AL | 19 | 37 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | .297 | β | β | β | β | 0.0 |
| 1910 | BOS | AL | 113 | 413 | 56 | 117 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 36 | 8 | 41 | 52 | .283 | .249 (+13%) | .317 (+11%) | .326 (+15%) | .644 (+13%) | 982.6 |
| 1911 | BOS | AL | 138 | 492 | 80 | 140 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 44 | 27 | 64 | 57 | .285 | .266 (+7%) | .336 (+11%) | .356 (+5%) | .693 (+8%) | 955.9 |
| 1912 | BOS | AL | 143 | 517 | 88 | 163 | 24 | 18 | 3 | 86 | 25 | 56 | 36 | .315 | .268 (+17%) | .335 (+14%) | .358 (+25%) | .694 (+20%) | 1993.8 |
| 1913 | BOS | AL | 131 | 473 | 64 | 133 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 63 | 18 | 47 | 34 | .281 | .259 (+8%) | .325 (+7%) | .345 (+4%) | .670 (+5%) | 506.2 |
| 1914 | BOS | AL | 155 | 553 | 50 | 143 | 23 | 19 | 3 | 68 | 16 | 35 | 39 | .259 | .255 (+1%) | .322 (-6%) | .339 (+14%) | .661 (+4%) | 110.9 |
| 1915 | BOS | AL | 127 | 430 | 51 | 111 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 55 | 11 | 39 | 24 | .258 | .250 (+3%) | .318 (+3%) | .332 (-2%) | .651 (avg) | 60.5 |
| 1916 | BOS | AL | 148 | 493 | 47 | 152 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 62 | 12 | 48 | 27 | .308 | .248 (+24%) | .314 (+18%) | .326 (+19%) | .640 (+19%) | 1767.3 |
| 1917 | BOS | AL | 146 | 501 | 53 | 133 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 61 | 16 | 54 | 37 | .265 | .248 (+7%) | .312 (+9%) | .323 (+7%) | .635 (+8%) | 810.4 |
| 1918 | PHA | AL | 127 | 463 | 50 | 132 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 52 | 9 | 43 | 22 | .285 | .255 (+12%) | .318 (+8%) | .326 (+12%) | .645 (+10%) | 849.9 |
| 1919 | CLE | AL | 139 | 524 | 67 | 157 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 79 | 7 | 39 | 29 | .300 | .262 (+14%) | .322 (+9%) | .347 (+13%) | .670 (+11%) | 1081.0 |
| 1920 | CLE | AL | 154 | 597 | 72 | 185 | 31 | 11 | 3 | 118 | 3 | 53 | 25 | .310 | .271 (+14%) | .331 (+11%) | .363 (+14%) | .694 (+12%) | 1464.5 |
| 1921 | CLE | AL | 153 | 586 | 101 | 187 | 32 | 14 | 3 | 120 | 3 | 65 | 16 | .319 | .286 (+11%) | .344 (+13%) | .395 (+11%) | .739 (+12%) | 1584.6 |
| 1922 | CLE | AL | 137 | 470 | 74 | 134 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 68 | 9 | 49 | 21 | .285 | .285 (avg) | .345 (+3%) | .397 (-5%) | .743 (-2%) | -59.8 |
| 1923 | CLE | AL | 52 | 79 | 4 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 7 | .253 | .282 (-11%) | .344 (+2%) | .390 (-12%) | .734 (-6%) | -52.3 |
| 1924 | CLE | AL | 38 | 50 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | .200 | .283 (-30%) | .345 (-21%) | .389 (-49%) | .734 (-36%) | -276.4 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,923 | 6,688 | 867 | 1,931 | 301 | 129 | 27 | 934 | 165 | 654 | 434 | .289 | — | — | — | — | 11,779 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1930 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 999 | 3360 | 456 | 1002 | 18 | 520 | .298 |
| Away | 931 | 3338 | 412 | 932 | 9 | 428 | .279 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-09-06 | CLE | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-08-28 | CLE | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1924-08-16 | CLE | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-08-12 | CLE | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-08-08 | CLE | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-08-03 | CLE | BOS | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-08-01 | CLE | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-07-30 | CLE | PHA | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-07-20 | CLE | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-07-15 | CLE | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 181 | 113 | 382 | 527 | 47 | 60 |
| 3B | 1656 | 7 | 1789 | 3408 | 287 | 246 |
| SS | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | BOS | 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1909 | BOS | 3B | 8 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 1909 | BOS | SS | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1910 | BOS | 2B | 113 | 113 | 222 | 320 | 32 | 28 |
| 1911 | BOS | 2B | 62 | 0 | 152 | 195 | 13 | 31 |
| 1911 | BOS | 3B | 72 | 0 | 92 | 161 | 10 | 3 |
| 1912 | BOS | 3B | 143 | 0 | 167 | 296 | 35 | 16 |
| 1913 | BOS | 3B | 130 | 0 | 126 | 220 | 21 | 13 |
| 1914 | BOS | 3B | 153 | 0 | 187 | 312 | 31 | 18 |
| 1915 | BOS | 3B | 127 | 0 | 134 | 227 | 26 | 16 |
| 1916 | BOS | 3B | 147 | 0 | 149 | 278 | 21 | 24 |
| 1917 | BOS | 3B | 146 | 0 | 148 | 315 | 31 | 18 |
| 1918 | PHA | 3B | 127 | 0 | 158 | 291 | 17 | 33 |
| 1919 | CLE | 3B | 139 | 0 | 143 | 291 | 25 | 23 |
| 1920 | CLE | 3B | 154 | 0 | 156 | 362 | 13 | 32 |
| 1921 | CLE | 3B | 152 | 0 | 179 | 335 | 27 | 23 |
| 1922 | CLE | 3B | 128 | 0 | 133 | 259 | 20 | 24 |
| 1923 | CLE | 3B | 19 | 0 | 10 | 41 | 2 | 2 |
| 1924 | CLE | 2B | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 1924 | CLE | 3B | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 182 |
| Third Base | 1660 |
| Shortstop | 6 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1920 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1916 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1912 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Vermont | Burlington | VT | 1906, 1907, 1908 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 4.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative β closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Larry Gardner (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Larry Gardner
- What years did Larry Gardner play?
- Larry Gardner played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1924.
- Was Larry Gardner a pitcher?
- No. Larry Gardner was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Larry Gardner hit?
- Larry Gardner hit 27 career home runs with 1931 hits.
- What was Larry Gardner's career batting average?
- Larry Gardner batted .289 over his career, with 1,931 hits in 6,688 at bats.
- How many RBI did Larry Gardner have?
- Larry Gardner drove in 934 runs in his career.
- Is Larry Gardner in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Larry Gardner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.