On the road to becoming one of the game’s greatest closers, Billy Wagner had much to overcome.
His childhood was anything but easy. And at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, many thought he didn’t look the part of an overpowering pitcher.
Yet, when his 16-year MLB career came to an end, no one could deny that Billy the Kid was one of the best.
Growing up in rural Virginia, a broken arm before age 7 forced Wagner – a natural right-hander – to become a lefty thrower.
Wagner excelled in both football and baseball at Tazewell High School, but he received very little interest from colleges. He ultimately elected to attend Division III Ferrum College, where he dominated the opposition. MLB scouts soon took notice, and Wagner was drafted 12th overall by the Houston Astros following his junior year in 1993.
Wagner debuted just two years later, pitching a third of an inning in the big leagues on Sept. 13, 1995, before returning to Triple-A Tucson to open the 1996 season.
Wagner took over as the Astros’ primary closer during the 1996 season, recording nine saves. By 1997, he had assumed the role permanently, and he finished with 23 saves that season.
Midway through the 1998 season, Wagner was hit in the head by a line drive. Wagner later stated that getting hit helped improve his control, and his 1999 numbers proved it. That season, he claimed his first All-Star selection and the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award, recording 39 saves and posting a 1.57 ERA.
Elbow surgery limited him to just 28 appearances in 2000, but he came back strong in 2001, tallying 39 saves again. So began a dominant stretch for Wagner, as he produced his best season yet in 2003, racking up 44 saves, posting a 1.78 ERA and closing out a historic six-pitcher no-hitter against the Yankees on June 11.
The following offseason, Wagner was dealt to Philadelphia and was limited by injuries in his first season with the new club. With free agency looming in the offseason to come, he was at his best again in 2005, tallying 38 saves along with a 1.51 ERA.
Prior to the 2006 season, Wagner became the highest paid reliever in the game at the time when he signed a four-year deal with the New York Mets. He put together another successful campaign, recording 40 saves as New York ran away with the NL East. Though Wagner had been to the postseason four times with the Astros, he had never advanced past the first round – this time, however, the Mets swept the Dodgers in the NLDS to advance to the NLCS, where they fell to the eventual World Series champion Cardinals in seven games.
Wagner earned back-to-back All-Star selections in 2007 and 2008 before he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery in Sept. 2008. He would pitch only two more games for the Mets, returning in late August of 2009 before he was dealt to the Red Sox. With Boston, he served in a set-up role ahead of Jonathan Papelbon, making 15 appearances in the regular season and appearing in two games in the ALDS.
With his career winding down, Wagner signed a one-year deal with the Braves the following offseason. It was the realization of a dream for Wagner, who had grown up a Braves fan. Early in the spring, he informed the Braves that he would be retiring at the end of the 2010 season, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife and four children.
“Being home with them last year, I enjoyed it. There’s so much more to offer them at this age, and I need to be home,” Wagner told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after announcing his decision on April 30. “I wanted a chance at 400 [saves], and that’s great. If it happens this year, great, if not, then so be it.”
Wagner would reach the 400-mark easily, as he put together one more dominant season for Atlanta, amassing 37 saves, posting a 1.43 ERA and earning his final All-Star selection while burnishing his Cooperstown credentials.
When he called it a career, Wagner had posted a 2.31 ERA and a 0.998 WHIP, earned seven All-Star selections and totaled 422 saves. He was just the fifth pitcher ever to reach the 400-save mark.
His career WHIP is lowest among all retired relievers with at least 700 innings pitched.
