William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for the Houston Astros (1995–2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2004–2005), New York Mets (2006–2009), Boston Red Sox (2009), and Atlanta Braves (2010). Wagner is one of only eight major league relief pitchers to accumulate at least 400 career saves. A left-handed batter and thrower, Wagner stands tall and weighs .
A natural-born right-hander, Wagner learned to throw left-handed after fracturing his arm twice in his youth. His 11.9 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched ratio (K/9) is the highest of any major league pitcher with at least 800 innings pitched. He was a seven-time All-Star and the 1999 National League (NL) Rolaids Relief Man Award winner. He finished in the top ten in saves in the NL ten times, and in the top ten in games finished nine times.
Early life
Wagner was born to 16-year-old Yvonne and 18-year-old William “Hotrod” Wagner in Marion, Virginia on July 25, 1971. Wagner's parents divorced in 1976 when he was five years old. Wagner and his younger sister, Chasity, spent the following ten years living variously with combinations of their parents, their stepparents, and their grandparents in the general Marion area. During this time, Wagner and his family often relied on food stamps. Wagner described a typical breakfast as a "few crackers with peanut butter and a glass of water."
At seven years old, Wagner's right arm was broken while playing football. Shortly after having the cast removed, he broke the arm again. During this time, Wagner, a natural right-hander, began throwing a baseball left-handed.
At 14 years old, Wagner moved in with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, who lived in the Tannersville/Tazewell area about away from Marion. Despite having fallen behind a year in school due to the instability in his home life, Wagner was socially promoted to Tazewell High School because administrators feared he threw hard enough to injure his middle school classmates.
Career
Amateur career
Wagner graduated from Tazewell High School in Tazewell, Virginia, compiling a .451 batting average, 23 stolen bases, 29 runs batted in, 116 strikeouts in 46 innings, a 7-1 pitching record, and a 1.52 ERA in his senior season of baseball. As a senior in high school, Wagner grew to only tall and and, as a result, could not get attention from Major League Baseball scouts or Division I schools.
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. 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.
In 2012, Wagner was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Houston Astros
Minor leagues and early major league career: 1993−97
Wagner was selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft in June 1993 by the Houston Astros. He pitched exclusively as a starting pitcher in Minor League Baseball for the Quad Cities River Bandits, until his major league debut. In 1994, Wagner led all North American minor league pitchers in strikeouts, with 204. Wagner made his first Major League appearance with the Astros, as a late-season promotion from AAA baseball, on September 12, 1995, pitching against one batter late in a 10–5 defeat by the New York Mets. This was his only opportunity to pitch for the Astros that season.
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.