Billy Wagner

 ( 1971 Births ) 

Wagner chose to follow his cousin to Ferrum College, a small liberal arts college in Ferrum, Virginia, where they both played baseball and football. Coaches at Ferrum encouraged Wagner to focus on baseball, and he would eventually take their advice and stop playing football.

Wagner set single-season NCAA records for strikeouts per nine innings, with in 1992, and the fewest hits allowed per nine innings, with 1.88. He was inducted into the Ferrum College Hall of Fame in 2003.

After the 1992 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), was named the league's outstanding pro prospect, and is a member of the CCBL Hall of Fame class of 2022.

Wagner began in 1996, once again in the minor leagues as a starting pitcher, but he finished the season by becoming a relief pitcher for the Astros. He accumulated a 6–2 record with a 3.28 ERA, in twelve starts for the AAA Tucson Toros. His baseball contract was purchased by the Astros on June 2, 1996, and Wagner was then assigned exclusively as a short-relief pitcher by the Astros manager. He finished the Major League season with nine saves in 13 opportunities, allowed 28 hits, and he struck out 67 hitters in innings – giving him a rate of 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. His opponents had a batting average of .165 against him.

In 1997, Wagner played his first full season in the major leagues. He accumulated 23 saves in 29 opportunities, and he struck out 106 batters in innings. This set a major league record of 14.4 strikeouts per nine innings, which broke the old record of 14.1 set by the former Cincinnati Reds reliever Rob Dibble in 1992.

Wagner struck out the side 13 times in his 66 innings pitched, and his season total of 106 strikeouts set a Houston Astros record for relief pitchers.

On July 15, 1998, while protecting an 8–7 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wagner was struck by a batted ball on the left side of his head behind his ear. Wagner was alert and conscious on the ground, and his vital signs remained good. He was carried off the baseball diamond on a stretcher, and it was found that he had suffered a concussion. He spent the night in the hospital. On the next day, he flew home to Houston, and he was also immediately placed on baseball's 15-day disabled list. Wagner worked on his balance and coordination for weeks before he was cleared by the team physicians to embark on a rehabilitation assignment with a minor-league team. After pitching there in three games, Wagner was recalled to the Astros on August 6, and he completed the rest of the baseball season there without incident. The Astros won a franchise-best 102 games while winning the National League Central division title and leading the league in runs scored. Their season ended with a defeat at the hands of the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.

Wagner captured the 1999 Relief Man of the Year Award in the National League. He saved 39 games and struck out 124 in 74 innings (15 strikeouts per 9 innings). Wagner posted a 4–1 record with an ERA of 1.57 and had more saves than hits allowed (in innings, he allowed 35 hits).

In 2002, Wagner went 4–2 with a 2.52 ERA, 88 strikeouts, and 35 saves in 75 innings. Then, he enjoyed his best season in 2003, when he reached career-highs in saves (44), innings pitched (86) and games (78), and got 105 strikeouts while leading the league in games finished.

On June 11, 2003, Wagner closed out a no-hitter thrown by a record six pitchers against the New York Yankees. In 2003, he was the majors' hardest-throwing pitcher, throwing 159 pitches at 100 mph or faster. Second on the list was Bartolo Colón with 12.

Wagner's 2004 season was shortened by strains to his groin and rotator cuff. He had the best ERA of his career in 2005 and again led the league in games finished. Wagner became a free agent after that season.

In a May 7, 2006 interview, Wagner said that he was confronted by all of his former Phillies teammates in September 2005 after he had criticized their performance in the media by repeatedly saying that the Phillies had "no chance" of making the playoffs. (The Phillies ultimately missed the playoffs by one game.) Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell reportedly called Wagner a "rat." The confrontation and his demand for a no-trade clause were factors that led Wagner to leave Philadelphia.

Wagner had a good first half of the season in 2007. He was successful in 17 out of 18 save chances, and his ERA was 1.94. July was his best month, when he recorded eight saves in eight chances; did not allow a run scored; and he won the Delivery Man of the Month Award. During that month, Wagner's ERA was 0.00, he gave up two hits, and he pitched enough innings to be equivalent to a complete game pitched. His performance earned him a slot on the National League All-Star Team.

Wagner's second half was not nearly as successful. He converted 13 out of 17 save chances, and his ERA was 3.90. Wagner's pitching performance declined during the final two months of the season. On August 30, Wagner blew a save in the final game of a four-game series between the Phillies and Mets. The final result was a four-game sweep by the Phillies. This sweep turned out to be the difference in the season: the Mets finished one game behind the Phillies at the end of the regular season, completing a seven-game collapse. One more win against the Phillies would have allowed the Mets to win the division that year. Wagner had a 6.23 ERA in August, and he suffered from back spasms during September.

On May 15, 2008, Wagner issued a tirade against his teammates and coaches following the Mets' 1–0 loss in a game against the Washington Nationals, in part directed at teammates including Carlos Beltrán and Carlos Delgado who did not conduct interviews with the press following games. However, Wagner pitched well enough in the beginning of the season to be selected for the All-Star Game. During the game, Wagner, pitching late, surrendered a game-tying double to Evan Longoria, and then the National League lost in 15 innings.

In September 2008, the Mets announced that Wagner had torn the ulnar collateral ligament of his left elbow and also his flexor pronator tendon. These injuries required Tommy John surgery. This surgery, and its recovery, put Wagner out of play for a calendar year. Wagner was paid $10.5 million by the Mets in 2009. For 2010, the Mets had an $8 million option with a $1 million buyout.

In the news conference following the announcement of his major elbow injury, Wagner vowed that he would return to playing in MLB. Although he had previously stated that he would not pitch anymore following 2009, Wagner amended this by saying that he did not wish to end his baseball career in this fashion – ending it on a major injury. He also said that he had dreams of winning a World Series, and also of reaching a total of about 420 saves in his career.

However, Wagner stated furthermore that he had "played his last baseball game as a Met". Wagner explained that it would not make good business sense for the Mets to guarantee him $8 million for 2010, pitching or not pitching.

Despite his comments, Wagner remained on the Mets' 40-man roster on the disabled list at the beginning of the season in 2009. He pitched for the first time in 2009 for the Mets on August 20 against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched one inning with two strikeouts and giving up no hits or walks.

Wagner played his final regular season game on October 3 and struck out the final four batters he faced, the last three of whom struck out looking. He concluded his final season with a career-best 1.43 ERA. Wagner made his final major league appearance on October 8 in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants. He injured his left oblique and left the game after facing just two batters. The Braves eventually lost the series before Wagner could recover.