Billy Wagner: 2006 NL Eastern Champion Mets Closer (2006 - 2009)

William Edward Wagner was born on July 25, 1971, in Tannersville, Virginia.

The farmer from the South, was originally a right hander but after breaking his arm, he learned to throw left-handed off the door of his barn. He developed that arm into one that was known to throw a fastball at 100 mph. 

Wagner set N.C.A.A. records in the small school of Ferrum College getting himself drafted number one by the Astros in 1993. 

In the minor leagues, he was a starting pitcher. In 1994 Billy led all pitchers with 204 Ks while pitching at A-ball Quad Cities. In 1995 he jumped from AA Jackson to AAA Tuscon going 7-5 with 157 strikeouts.

MLB Debut: On September 13th he made his MLB debut pitching to one batter in the 6th inning of a 10-5 loss to the Mets at Shea.

Wagner would spend nine years with the Astros going 26-29 with a 2.53 ERA becoming the teams All Time save leader collecting 225 saves. 

In 1997 he became the Astros full time closer replacing Todd Jones. Over the next seven seasons (1997 -2003) he would save 30 games or more five times including a career high 44 saves in 2003. With Houston he struck out 694 batters in 504.1 innings pitched.

Post Seasons: In Houston Billy made four post season appearances with the Astros, but never went past the NLDS. 

In the 1997 NLDS loss to the Braves he finished off Game #2 in a 13-3 loss to in Atlanta. 

In the 1998 NLDS loss to the Padres, Billy blew a save in Game 32 giving up a HR to Jim Leyritz. But he got the win as the Astros rallied to beat Trevor Hoffman with a Bill Spiers Walk off single.

In 1999 Wagner won the Relief Man of the Year Award, saving 39 games and struck out 124 batters in only 74 innings. He set a new MLB record for strikeouts per 9 innings (15). He also stuck out the side 15 times on the season & posted a 1.57 ERA. That year the Astros made their third straight post season that year as well.

1999 Post Season: In the NLDS loss to Atlanta he finished off the 6-1 Game #2 win.

In 2000 he tore his flexor tendon and missed most of the season, pitching in just 28 games struggling with a career worst 6.18 ERA. In 2001 he returned to save 39 games going 2-5 with 79 K's in 62.2 innings of work with a 2.73 ERA. and be a leading candidate for the Comeback Player of the Year. 

2001 Post Season: In the NLDS loss to the Braves, he made two appearances giving up a HR to
Chipper Jones.

In 2003, his contract year may have been his best season, saving a career high 44 games, with 105 strikeouts in 86 innings. He was 1-3 leading the league in games finished 67 posting a 1.78 ERA.  

Combined No Hitter: That June he was one of six Astros pitchers, to combine for a no hitter, against the A.L. New York club. 

In 2004 he signed on with the Phillies for two seasons. In 2004 he was 4-0 21 saves & a 2.42 ERA for the second place Phils. In 2005 he saved 38 games leading the NL in games finished with a career best 70.

Drama In Philly: In 2005 he stated to the press the Phillies had no chance in making the playoffs. This of course irked some of his teammates & some of them confronted him. Outfielder Pat Burrell actually came out & call him a rat in public. At the end of the season, it was no surprise he did not resign with Philadelphia. 

In 2006 Wagner signed on with New York Mets as a free agent.

Mets Career: On Opening Day Wagner got his first Mets with a scoreless 9th in a 3-2 win over the Washington Nationals. 

In the second game of the season, he blew his first save serving up a game tying HR to Ryan Zimmerman, Jorge Julio lost the game in the 14th inning.

On April 9th, David Wright's Walk off sac fly helped Wagner earn his first win of the season. From there he saved four straight games, before blowing another save when he gave up a HR to the Giants Barry Bonds in Sa Francisco. The Mets won it with RBIs from Chris Woodward & Jose Reyes in the top of the 12th inning.

On May 1st he earned his second win, when the National's gave the Mets a win on pitcher Gary Majewskis throwing error. 

Subway Series Win: On May 19th, Wagner collected his third win, coming in the subway series when David Wright singled off Mariano Riveria in the bottom of the 9th inning scoring Paul LoDuca with the walk off. Wagner had struck out the side in the top of the 9th on just 12 pitches. He also earned a save in the end of that series.

Wagner had a good start with the Mets, he was 3-0 with 14 saves & a 2.14 ERA before taking his first loss which came in late June. From June 25th to July 30th Wagner allowed just two earned runs in 13 games over 13.1 innings as he collected eight straight saves totaling 22 for the season, while posting a 1.35 ERA. 

300th Career Save: On July 4th in a 7-6 win at Pittsburgh, he notched his 300th career save, becoming the 20th pitcher to reach that milestone. He was jus he third lefthander to do so, joining former Mets John Franco & Randy Meyers.

After the All-Star break, he would strike out 42 batters in 31.2 innings & post a 1.99 ERA. On July 30th he recorded four outs in a 10-6 win over the Braves, making it the 12th in his career he had a five out save.

On August 1st, he gave up a walk off HR to the Marlins Josh Willingham in South Florida for his second loss. The next game he came back & struck out the side to earn his 23rd save. On August 19th, Wagner collected his 30th save of the season, making it the seventh time in his career he reached that mark. He became the fourth Mets pitcher to record thirty saves in a season, joining Jon Franco, Jesse Orosco & Armando Benitez.

40th Save: On September 29th Wagner collected his 40th & final save of the season, in a Mets win over the Nationals. He moved into a tie for 11th place all time in saves with Troy Percival. Wagner converted his last 18 save opportunities & 26 of his last 27 chances. He became the second Met to reach 40 saves in a season, Armando Benitez had saved 44 games in 2000.

Wagner was one of the best Mets relievers in years as he was able to easily close out the 9th innings. On the season he was 3-2 with 40 saves posting a 2.24 ERA, striking out 94 batters in 72 innings pitched. Wagner came in 6th in the Cy Young voting. He was second in the NL with 16 saves when entering a game with a one run lead.

2006 Post Season- NLDS: In the NLDS Wagner would get credit with saves in the first two
games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

In Game #3 he would be on the mound for the final inning of the 9-5 series clinching win at Dodger Stadium.

He was the first Mets pitcher, since Mike Hampton in 2000, to close out a Mets post season series victory while celebrating on a pitcher’s mound. Overall, in the NLDS he posted an ERA of 3.00 while striking out four batters in three innings of work.

2006 NLCS: In the NLCS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Wagner would appear in three games. In the Mets Game #1 win, he earned a save securing Tom Glavine’s 2-0 shutout. 

In Game #2 he came into the 9th inning with the score tied 6-6. He gave up a leadoff HR to Sao Taguchi, then two more runs on hits by Scott Spezio & Juan Encarnacion taking the loss.

He did not appear again until Game #6 when he entered a crazy Shea Stadium, to nail down John Maine’s 4-0 lead. Wagner again struggled again against Sao Taguchi, who doubled home two runs bringing the score to 4-2. Wagner then got David Eckstein to ground out to secure the win. He did not pitch in the Game seven loss.

In the NLCS he finished the Series with one save, going 0-1. He gave up six runs in 2.2 innings
pitched to post a 16.88 ERA in three games.

After the Playoffs: In 2007 Wagner donated $1000 which was matched by $2000 by the Mets Foundation to the East Harlem Tutorial Program & Second Chance Learning Center in Virginia.

On Opening Day, he closed out a Mets 6-1 win in St. Louis. He successfully converted his first 13 saves, without a blown save until June 7th. From April 28th to May 18th, he pitched nine shutout innings over ten appearances.

Mets Record for Consecutive Saves: On May 23rd, he earned his 11th save of the season, coming in a 3-0 combined shut out in Atlanta. For Wagner it was his 29th consecutive save dating back to 2006, setting a Mets record, passing Armando Benitez's 28 straight saves (2000-2001).

On June 29th Billy finished off both ends of a double header sweep in Philadelphia. In the first game he struck out the side to earn his 16th save. In the night cap he finished off a 5-2 win in the 9th inning.

2007 All Star: In the first half of the season, Wagner had 17 saves with a 1.69 ERA earning him a spot on the NL All Star team. He joined teammates David Wright, Carlos Beltran & Jose Reyes.

In the 2007 MLB All Star Game he came into the game at AT&T Park in San Francisco to start the8th inning with the NL down 3-2. He gave up a HR to Victor Martinez in the eventual 5-2 NL Loss.

That July he was a perfect eight for eight in save opportunities, earning the DHL Delivery Man of
the Month award. Going back to June 15th until August 8th, he did not allow a run in 21 innings, the second longest streak of his career.

350th Save:  On August 8th, he got out a of a bases loaded no one out jam, in the bottom of the 9th in Atlanta, clinging to a one run lead. He got Jeff Francoeur to ground into a force play at hoe then ended the game with Andru Jones grounding into a double play. It was the 350th save of his career.

1000th Strike Out: On August 21st he struck out the Padres Josh Bard & collected his 100th career strikeout joining Jesse Orosco as the only two left-handed relief pitchers with 1000 or more K's in their careers.

By mid-August Wagner had 26 saves with a 1.28 ERA before taking his first his first loss. It came against the Marlins; he would blow two more saves that month. 

On August 29th he took another loss in extra innings at Philadelphia, when the Phillies swept the Mets in a brutal four game series. Wagner had entered the game with a one run lead, but RBI hits by Tadahito Iguchi & Chase Utley ended the game. 

This Series made a making a big difference at the end of the season, as the Mets finished one game behind Philadelphia. That week the Mets lost five straight as their NL East lead fell from seven games to just two games. 

Mets Collapse: The Mets had a terrible September going 13-14 & blowing a seven-game lead
they held on September 12th. From there they went 5-1, holding on to a one game lead with four games to go in the season. But they lost three of their last four & did not make the playoffs. 

From September 2nd to September 12th Wagner saved five straight games, allowing one run in five innings. But that was to be his last save of the season. He had just one more opportunity & blew a 9th inning lead serving up a Dan Uggla game tying HR. The Mets did win the game in extra innings.

In 2007 Wagner was 2-2 with 34 saves (sixth in the NL) for his eight seasons of 30 or more saves. 

He moved into seventh place on the All-time save list & in just two seasons sixth on the Mets save list. Billy posted a 2.30 ERA, striking out 80 batters & walking 22 in 47 innings in 66 appearances.

2008: This turned out to be another season where the Mets competed but could not make the playoffs despite being expected too. In July they would get into first place, fall out then get back on top as late as September 15th. 

But they went 6-9 the rest of the way & lost the final game played at Shea Stadium to end their season without a playoff berth. That year Manager Willie Randolph got fired with Jerry Manuel taking over. 

Wagner Calls Out His Teammates:  As the Mets were struggling early that season, Wagner lashed out to his teammates, especially the ones who were not around for post-game interviews. Many believe this was meant toward Carlos’ Beltran & Carlos Delgado. It was hoped that his words would have sparked the team, but it caused some friction in the clubhouse.

Wagner saved his first six games, throwing ten straight shutout innings in ten appearances. On April 29th, he blew his first save, although the Mets came back to win the game.

On May 27th, he earned his tenth save of the year, in a game against the Marlins. It was his 368th career save passing Jeff Reardon on the all-time list. 

From June 8th to June 12th, he blew three saves & took a loss at San Diego as well. In those games he gave up six runs in 2.1 innings of work including three HRs. From there he rebounded not allowing a run in his next seven appearances.

Wagner pitched well in the first half posting a 2.31 ERA with 22 saves, earning him his seventh All

Star appearance.

2008 All Star Game: Wagner came into the 2007 All Star Game with two outs in the 8th inning with the NL Leading 3-2. Grady Sizemore singled & stole second and then Evan Longoria’s ground rule double tied the game sending it to the 15th inning where the A.L. won it.

After the break, Wagner earned six more saves without giving up a run. On August 2nd, he came into a 4-2 game at Houston looking to close out the win. But he gave a two-run game tying single to Geoff Blum for his seventh blown save of the year. He was soon placed on the disabled list & would not return.

In September he suffered an injury that hurt the Mets team badly, definitely having an impact on their bullpen for the rest of the year. This among other reasons caused the team to miss the playoffs once again. Wagner had torn the ulnar collateral ligament of his left elbow & also his flexor pronator tendon. 

These injuries required major reconstructive surgery, as he was done for year. He would miss most of the next season as well. In an emotional press conference, he vowed to return but said his days as a Met were probably over & the team should move on.

Tommy John Surgery: On September 8th, he underwent Tommy John surgery at the NY Hospital for Special Surgery.

For 2008, he was 0-1 with 27 saves (10th most in the NL) posting a 2.30 ERA. Opposing batters hit just .185 against him, second best among NL relivers. He struck out 52 & walked 10 in 47 innings pitched in 45 appearances.

2009: Wagner did return to the Mets in 2009. On August 29th, he made his first appearance
striking out two Atlanta Braves in the 8th inning. On August 24th, he made his final Mets appearance in a loss to the Phillies at Citi Field.

The 2009 season was a disaster for the Mets, by this time they were 11 games under .500 under manager Jerry Manuel. Wagner was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Chris Carter.

Mets Career Stats: In his four-season Mets career Wagner was 5-5 with 101 saves (6th on the Mets all-time list). He struck out 230 batters walked 54 in 189.2 innings of work in 183 appearances. 

Post Mets Career: Wagner finished the season in Boston going 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in five games pitched. In the ALDS Loss to the Angels, he appeared in two games allowing two runs in one inning of work. 

At the end of the season, he signed with the Atlanta Braves as a free agent where he recovered to have a remarkable season. 

In Atlanta he became the team's closer, making his eighth & final All-Star team. Wagner saved 37 games (5th in the NL) going 7-2 with a 1.49 ERA. 

2010 Post Season: In the NLDS loss to the San Francisco Giants, Wagner made his final post season appearance, pitching 0.1 innings in Game #2. He ended his career after the season.

Career Stats: In his 16-year career, Wagner finished with 422 saves (6th most saves all time) finishing 703 games (8th most all time), going 47-40 with 1196 strike outs in 903 innings pitched in 853 appearances (39th all time) with 703 games finished (6th all time).

Wagner made eight All Star teams & played in seven post seasons. 

Post Season Career: In the post season he was 1-1 with three saves, struck out 13 & walked two in 11.2 innings in 14 appearances. His 2006 NLCS appearance with the Mets was the furthest he got in post season play.

Trivia: In his career batters hit just .187 against him & a ratio of 5.99 hits per nine innings. These are the lowest batting average & hits per nine innings for any pitcher with 800+ innings of work.

Honors: Wagner was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. Although he has not made the MLB Hall of Fame, he is a strong candidate.

In 2022 he returned to Citi Field for the Old Timers Day celebration of Mets players from the past.

In 2023 he was elected to the Houston Astros Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the state of Virginia HOF.

Family: In 1993 Billy married the former Sarah Quesenberry. Together they have three children. 

Retirement: After his playing days, he became a coach at The Miller School of Alme Marie in Virgina. There he won two Independant School Championships.

Why Not the Hall of Fame: Wagner's career & statistics make a good case for induction to the Hall of Fame.