13 things to know about Hall of Famer and former Phillies No. 13 Billy Wagner
Wagner’s career ERA was 2.31 in 853 appearances. Only Mariano Rivera (2.21) had a lower ERA in the modern era.
Perhaps the only surprise in Billy Wagner was his modest dimensions. How could a guy who was 5-foot-10 and maybe 180 pounds on a good day throw so hard? Other than that, what you saw is what you got out of him.
Everybody in the stadium knew a fastball was coming and still he blew it by the hitter. When he didn’t care for his teammates’ or the front office’s effort, he didn’t mince words. He was never the most popular player on his teams, but seemed like he never wanted to be, either.
Here are 13 things to know about Wagner, who wore No. 13 throughout his career and who spent two seasons in his prime making friends — and adversaries — here in Philadelphia.
1. He grew up in Tannersville, Va., a tiny town in the Appalachian Mountains. He fed off the stereotype of being a backwater native. “Nobody expects you to have much or be smart,” he told the Houston Chronicle in 1995 while he was still in the minors. “I can’t look down on anybody because they’re all looking down on me.”
2. When he was selected out of Ferrum (Va.) College by the Houston Astros with the No. 12 pick in 1993, he became the first Division III player drafted in the first round since the Giants took Marietta (Ohio) right-hander Terry Mulholland in 1984. Mulholland, coincidentally in 1993, was the closest thing the Phillies had to an ace during their unlikely pennant season.
3. Wagner was exclusively a starting pitcher in the minors. His first professional appearance as a reliever was with the Astros in 1995 when he induced the Mets’ Rico Brogna to fly out in a September game. It was the only batter he faced in the majors that season, but by the middle of 1996, he was getting opportunities to close.
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4. Wagner’s parents separated when he was 5 and Billy moved frequently as a child, living with various relatives. The upheaval, he said, made him pitch angry. He was a right-hander until he broke his arm TWICE before he was 8-years-old. So he started throwing everything lefthanded.
5. This was Wagner’s final year of Hall of Fame eligibility. “It’s never been easy for me to do anything,” he said, “so to get in after 10 tries is a blessing.”
6. He played 16 seasons in the majors for five clubs. His 422 saves by team: Astros 225, Mets 101, Phillies 59, Braves 37, Red Sox 0.
7. Wagner pitched for the Phillies in 2004 and 2005, but the clubhouse quickly soured on their All-Star closer. Wagner told The Inquirer that Pat Burrell called him “a rat” and the clubhouse was “aligned 24 against one.”
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8. He was an All-Star in 2005, but also had a key blown save in September when he allowed a home run to former Houston teammate Craig Biggio following an error by David Bell. Wagner, who also took the loss the day before, said the only person to offer comfort after the Biggio game was manager Charlie Manuel.
9. “I heard from more Astros players,” Wagner said. “Guys from Houston called me and said, ‘Keep going.’” The Phillies (88-74) ended up missing the playoffs by one game when Houston (89-73) claimed the wild-card berth.
10. Wagner returned the favor (sort of) in 2007 when he was a member of the Mets and blew a save in the final game of a four-game Phillies sweep in August. That was the year the Phillies erased a seven-game deficit to the Mets over the final 17 games of the season. Wagner gave up runs in three of his five appearances during the Mets’ slide.
11. Wagner’s career ERA was 2.31 in 853 appearances. Only Mariano Rivera (2.21) had a lower ERA in the modern era. In 14 career postseason games, however, Wagner’s ERA was 10.03. His teams were 1-7 in playoff series.
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12. He’s the eighth closer to be inducted into the HOF, joining Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, and Bruce Sutter. Hoyt Wilhelm was a longtime reliever who pitched before saves became an official statistic.
13. His 422 saves are eighth all-time. His 1,196 strikeouts in 903 innings is an 11.9 K/9 IP ratio, which is the highest in modern history. He struck out 33.2% of the hitters he faced, also a record. At least 90% of them had to be on fastballs the hitters knew were coming and still couldn’t hit.