Billy Wagner was born on Sunday, July 25, 1971, in Tannersville, Virginia. Wagner was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 13, 1995, with the Houston Astros. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Billy Wagner baseball stats page.
"I threw 78 miles per hour in high school. I hit 92 miles per hour during my freshman year in college, and today I can throw 98. If I can name one thing that contributed most to my increase in velocity, it would be long toss." - Wagner, Billy. Baseball Almanac Interview. Dolphins Stadium. 27 May 2006.
Billy Wagner![]() Billy Wagner Autograph on a 1996 Topps Baseball Card (#212) |
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Billy WagnerBilly Wagner Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| 1995 | 24 | Astros | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1996 | 25 | Astros | 37 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2.44 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 51.2 | 212 | 28 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 30 | 2 | 67 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - |
| 1997 | 26 | Astros | 62 | 0 | 49 | 7 | 8 | .467 | 2.85 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 66.1 | 277 | 49 | 21 | 23 | 5 | 30 | 1 | 106 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - |
| 1998 | 27 | Astros | 58 | 0 | 50 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2.70 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 60.0 | 247 | 46 | 18 | 19 | 6 | 25 | 1 | 97 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1999 | 28 | Astros | 66 | 0 | 55 | 4 | 1 | .800 | 1.57 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 74.2 | 286 | 35 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 23 | 1 | 124 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2000 | 29 | Astros | 28 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 4 | .333 | 6.18 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 27.2 | 129 | 28 | 19 | 19 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 30 | Astros | 64 | 0 | 58 | 2 | 5 | .286 | 2.73 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 62.2 | 251 | 44 | 19 | 19 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 79 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 31 | Astros | 70 | 0 | 61 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 2.52 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 75.0 | 289 | 51 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 22 | 5 | 88 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 32 | Astros | 78 | 0 | 67 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 1.78 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 86.0 | 335 | 52 | 17 | 18 | 8 | 23 | 5 | 105 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 33 | Phillies | 45 | 0 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 2.42 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 48.1 | 182 | 31 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 59 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | 34 | Phillies | 75 | 0 | 70 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 1.51 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 77.2 | 297 | 45 | 13 | 17 | 6 | 20 | 2 | 87 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 35 | Mets | 70 | 0 | 59 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2.24 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 72.1 | 297 | 59 | 18 | 22 | 7 | 21 | 1 | 94 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 36 | Mets | 66 | 0 | 57 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2.63 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 68.1 | 282 | 55 | 20 | 22 | 6 | 22 | 4 | 80 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 37 | Mets | 45 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2.30 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 47.0 | 184 | 32 | 12 | 17 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 38 | Mets | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 38 | Red Sox | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 56 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2010 | 39 | Braves | 71 | 0 | 64 | 7 | 2 | .778 | 1.43 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 69.1 | 268 | 38 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 22 | 3 | 104 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
| 16 Years | 853 | 0 | 703 | 47 | 40 | .540 | 2.31 | 0 | 0 | 422 | 903.0 | 3,600 | 601 | 232 | 262 | 82 | 300 | 26 | 1,196 | 43 | 33 | 1 | 9 | ||
Billy WagnerBilly Wagner Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1995 | 24 | Astros | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1996 | 25 | Astros | 37 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1997 | 26 | Astros | 62 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1998 | 27 | Astros | 58 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 |
| 1999 | 28 | Astros | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2000 | 29 | Astros | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2001 | 30 | Astros | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2002 | 31 | Astros | 70 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2003 | 32 | Astros | 78 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .333 | .000 |
| 2004 | 33 | Phillies | 45 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2005 | 34 | Phillies | 74 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 |
| 2006 | 35 | Mets | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2007 | 36 | Mets | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2008 | 37 | Mets | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2009 | 38 | Mets | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2009 | 38 | Red Sox | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2010 | 39 | Braves | 71 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 16 Years | 846 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .100 | .143 | .100 | ||
Billy WagnerBilly Wagner Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1995 Astros | P | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1996 Astros | P | 37 | 0 | 155 | 5 | 0.1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.87 |
| 1997 Astros | P | 62 | 0 | 199 | 10 | 0.2 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .900 | 1.22 |
| 1998 Astros | P | 58 | 0 | 180 | 5 | 0.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .800 | 0.60 |
| 1999 Astros | P | 66 | 0 | 224 | 7 | 0.1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.84 |
| 2000 Astros | P | 28 | 0 | 83 | 3 | 0.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.98 |
| 2001 Astros | P | 64 | 0 | 188 | 7 | 0.1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .857 | 0.86 |
| 2002 Astros | P | 70 | 0 | 225 | 14 | 0.2 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.68 |
| 2003 Astros | P | 78 | 0 | 258 | 16 | 0.2 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.67 |
| 2004 Phillies | P | 45 | 0 | 145 | 10 | 0.2 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.86 |
| 2005 Phillies | P | 75 | 0 | 234 | 10 | 0.1 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.15 |
| 2006 Mets | P | 70 | 0 | 216 | 12 | 0.2 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.50 |
| 2007 Mets | P | 66 | 0 | 204 | 9 | 0.1 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .889 | 1.06 |
| 2008 Mets | P | 45 | 0 | 141 | 3 | 0.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.57 |
| 2009 Mets | P | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 2009 Red Sox | P | 15 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 0.1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.29 |
| 2010 Braves | P | 71 | 0 | 207 | 11 | 0.2 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .909 | 1.30 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| P Totals | 853 | 0 | 2,708 | 124 | 0.1 | 119 | 33 | 86 | 5 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .960 | 1.19 | |
| 16 Years | 853 | 0 | 2,708 | 124 | 0.1 | 119 | 33 | 86 | 5 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .960 | 1.19 | |
Billy WagnerBilly Wagner Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1995 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1996 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 2.23 | 11.67 | 5.23 |
| 1997 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.53 | 14.38 | 4.07 |
| 1998 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3.88 | 14.55 | 3.75 |
| 1999 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.39 | 14.95 | 2.77 |
| 2000 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.56 | 9.11 | 5.86 |
| 2001 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.95 | 11.35 | 2.87 |
| 2002 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4.00 | 10.56 | 2.64 |
| 2003 Astros | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4.57 | 10.99 | 2.41 |
| 2004 Phillies | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 9.83 | 10.99 | 1.12 |
| 2005 Phillies | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 4.35 | 10.08 | 2.32 |
| 2006 Mets | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.48 | 11.70 | 2.61 |
| 2007 Mets | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.64 | 10.54 | 2.90 |
| 2008 Mets | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.20 | 9.96 | 1.91 |
| 2009 Mets | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.00 | 18.00 | 4.50 |
| 2009 Red Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.14 | 14.49 | 4.61 |
| 2010 Braves | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.73 | 13.50 | 2.86 |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 16 Years | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 20.0 | 3.99 | 11.92 | 2.99 |
Billy WagnerBilly Wagner Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1995 Houston Astros | 13 | $109,000.00 | - | - |
| 1996 Houston Astros | 13 | $109,000.00 | - | - |
| 1997 Houston Astros | 13 | $185,000.00 | - | - |
| 1998 Houston Astros | 13 | $280,000.00 | - | - |
| 1999 Houston Astros | 13 | $2,250,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 2000 Houston Astros | 13 | $3,200,000.00 | - | - |
| 2001 Houston Astros | 13 | $5,000,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 2002 Houston Astros | 13 | $8,000,000.00 | - | - |
| 2003 Houston Astros | 13 | $8,000,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 2004 Philadelphia Phillies | 13 | $8,000,000.00 | - | - |
| 2005 Philadelphia Phillies | 13 | $9,000,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 2006 New York Mets | 13 | $10,500,000.00 | - | - |
| 2007 New York Mets | 13 | $10,500,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 2008 New York Mets | 13 | $10,500,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 2009 New York Mets | 13 | $10,500,000.00 | - | - |
| 2009 Boston Red Sox | 13 | " " | - | - |
| 2010 Atlanta Braves | 13 | $6,750,000.00 | Stats | - |
| Billy Wagner Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

William Edward Wagner was a Major League Baseball player with the Houston Astros (1995-2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2004-2005), New York Mets (2006-2009), Boston Red Sox (2009), and Atlanta Braves (2010). Billy, his nickname, was one of the most dominant closers in baseball history, taking the mound in 853 career games, finishing off 703 of them, and recording a save in 422 games – putting him in an incredibly elite set of pitchers. [Top 1,000 Career Saves]

Billy Wagner Rookie Card | 1994 Bowman Baseball Card (#642)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
On June 8, 2003, Billy Wagner recorded his two-hundredth career save, breaking the Astros' team record, set previously by Dave Smith, who had 199 career saves with Houston during his tenure (1980-1990). Does Wagner still hold the mark? Who is second? Find out on the top 25 career saves leaders in Houston Astros history.
After breaking the team record, Wagner was asked (ESPN Network. 12 June 2003.) if he was nervous, and he replied, "I have a fear of failure. From where I came from, to get to this point, every game is Game 7. Every game means that much to me when I'm out there. I'm the kind of person who when he gets out there looks calm, but inside I'm about to explode. That's the type of person I am. That makes me a better pitcher. I never feel like, 'I have great stuff. I'm just gonna blow this guy away.' I go out there feeling like I have to prove myself every game."
Did you know that during the 2000s (2000 - 2009), Billy Wagner saved two-hundred eighty-four games, third most by a relief pitcher across the entire decade, behind two future Hall of Fame closers; Mariano Rivera (397 saves) and Trevor Hoffman (363 saves)? Too easy? Did you know that Wagner might have "only" finished third in saves, but when compared with other closers who had at least 200 saves during the 1980s, Billy the Kid struck out the most batters, finishing with 698 strikeouts (The Sandman was second, with 669 strikeouts, Joe Nathan was third, with 664 strikeouts).