Former Expos coach Billy Gardner died in January at age 96 

May 22, 2024

By Kevin Glew 

Cooperstowners in Canada 

Former Montreal Expos first-base coach Billy Gardner passed away on January 3 at the age of 96. 

He died at his home in Waterford, Ct. 

Gardner, who also managed the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals between 1981 and 1987, had been the oldest living former major league manager, according to Sam Gazdziak of RIP Baseball. 

Gardner’s two seasons as first-base coach with the Expos in 1977 and 1978 represented his second tenure in Canada. As a player, he suited up for the triple-A Ottawa Giants of the International League in 1951. 

Gardner also managed the Expos’ double-A Memphis Chicks in 1979 and the triple-A Denver Bears in 1980. 

“I’ve been in baseball for 35 years,” Gardner told The Commercial Appeal (a Memphis paper) in December 1978. “You never know how the ball’s gonna bounce.” 

That was certainly true for Gardner in his long career in professional baseball. 

Signed by Giants 

Born on July 19, 1927 in New London, Ct., Gardner was a multi-sport star at Chapman Technical High School, excelling in baseball, basketball and football. 

The 6-foot, 170-pound infielder was playing semi-pro ball in New London when he was signed by the New York Giants in 1944. 

After beginning his professional career with the class-D Bristol Twins in 1945, the scrappy right-handed hitting infielder toiled in the Giants’ minor league ranks for eight seasons before finally cracking the big league roster in 1954. 

With the Giants that season, he’d bat .213 in 62 games and serve as a utility infielder on their World Series-winning team. After hitting .203 in 59 games for the Giants in 1955, he was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles the following spring.  

Success with Orioles

It was with the O’s that he’d enjoy his greatest success as a player. In 1957, as the club’s starting second baseman and leadoff hitter, he topped the American League in at bats (644) and doubles (36) and also led AL second baseman with a .987 fielding percentage. For his efforts, he placed 12^th in the AL MVP voting. 

After two more seasons with the O’s, he was traded to the Washington Senators where he collected a career-high 56 RBIs in 1960 before moving with the club to Minnesota in 1961. 

That June, the Twins traded him to the New York Yankees where he had a front row seat to Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris chasing Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. He would also help the Bombers win the World Series. 

After beginning 1962 with the Yankees, he was swapped to the Red Sox where he served as a back-up infielder for his final two seasons. 

Coaching career

Following his playing career, he was hired to be the Red Sox third base coach in 1965. He spent two years in that role prior to becoming a minor league manager in the Red Sox and Royals organizations for 10 seasons.  

During that decade, Gardner took home manager of the year honours with the Eastern League’s Pittsfield Red Sox in 1968 and with the Southern League’s Jacksonville Suns in 1973.

After managing the triple-A Omaha Royals to a first-place finish in 1976, Gardner was hired to be the Expos first base coach on manager Dick Williams’ staff. 

Joins Expos staff

Gardner was a popular coach with the Expos who also worked with the team’s infielders. But after two seasons with the club, his contract was not renewed. 

Gardner would later accept a position to manage the Expos’ double-A Memphis Chicks.  

“Billy is an exceptionally well qualified and successful minor league manager,” Jim Fanning, the Expos player development director, told the Memphis Press-Scimitar when Gardner was hired to manage in Memphis. “He is a key man in the Montreal development program.” 

Gardner didn’t mind returning to double-A. 

“I’m used to buses. It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “The buses today are made like jets.” 

That season, he piloted a team that included Tim Raines, Tim Wallach, Bill Gullickson, Charlie Lea and Bryn Smith to an 82-62 regular season record and to within one win of the league championship series. 

In 1980, he was promoted to manage the Expos’ triple-A Denver Bears. With many of the same players from his Memphis squad, he led the Bears to an American Association record 92 wins and was named the league’s top manager.  

After that season, Williams lobbied for Gardner to return to the Expos’ big league staff. 

“We tried to get Billy Gardner,” Williams told The Ottawa Citizen in early December 1980 when announcing his 1981 coaching staff. “But the organization thought he would be better suited managing Denver again.” 

Big league manager

But Gardner had his heart set on returning to the big leagues, with an eye on managing one day. So, he left the Expos to become the third base coach with the Twins. When the Twins got off to an 11-25 start, they fired manager Johnny Goryl and replaced him with Gardner. 

Gardner would continue as dugout boss of the rebuilding Twins for the next four seasons. His best campaign was in 1984 when he led the team to an 81-81 record. But most importantly, Gardner mentored and helped develop players like Kirby Puckett, Gary Gaetti, Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunansky and Frank Viola who later formed the nucleus of the Twins’ 1987 World Series-winning team. 

In 1987, Gardner was hired by the Royals and took over as manager for Dick Howser, who was battling a brain tumor. Gardner led the Royals to a 62-64 record before he was replaced by John Wathan in late August. That would be Gardner’s final big-league job. 

Gardner returned to Connecticut and worked as a meat salesman and did some scouting. He and his wife Barbara lived in the same modest home for many years. 

“When you hit .230, you don’t move,” he once quipped about his house. 

Gardner’s son, also named Billy, followed in his footsteps and has worked as a minor league manager since 1995. 

Gardner is survived by his wife, Barbara, four children, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. 

You can read his official obituary here.