| Alex Gardner | |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 28 April 1861 |
| Birth Place: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Death Place: | Danvers, Massachusetts, US |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | May 10 |
| Debutyear: | 1884 |
| Debutteam: | Washington Nationals |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | May 10 |
| Finalyear: | 1884 |
| Finalteam: | Washington Nationals (AA) |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .000 |
| Stat2label: | Home runs |
| Stat2value: | 0 |
| Stat3label: | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value: | 0 |
| Teams: | |
Alexander Gardner (April 28, 1861 – June 18, 1926) was a Canadian professional baseball catcher who played one major league game for the Washington Nationals of the American Association in .
Gardner started his only game on May 10, 1884, and caught Ed Trumbull, who was also making his first major league start, in a matchup against the New York Metropolitans.[1] Gardner, who lived in Danvers, Massachusetts, may have been recommended to the team by fellow resident Thorny Hawkes.[2] [3] At the plate, Gardner recorded no hits in three at bats.[4] He also played poorly in the field, committing six errors and allowing at least six passed balls[4] [5] (some sources credit him with 12 passed balls, which would be an all-time major league record).[1] [2] [3] [6] Washington lost the game, which was stopped after only seven innings,[5] by a score of 11-3;[1] reportedly, a thousand fans left the ballpark in disgust midway through the game.[3]
Gardner most likely lived in Danvers for the remainder of his life, and died there in 1926 at the age of 65.[2]