Wagner's perseverance pays off with Hall of Fame immortality

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Billy Wagner pitched 853 Major League games in his career without starting a single one.

On Sunday, he opened the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in which he, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Dick Allen and Dave Parker were enshrined for eternity – and it was the perfect opportunity for him.

“Everybody wanted that spot,” he said afterward with a grin. “But I waited the longest. It was good to get that out of the way. I think the longer I waited, the more emotional I probably would have gotten, so I think they said, ‘Let’s get that guy off the stage as quickly as possible.’”

Just as he did coming from a small, rural Virginia town and a Division III college as a 5-foot-10-inch pitcher to forge a Hall of Fame career, Wagner bucked expectations on the stage.

“They kept shooting the over/under on me,” Wagner said of the players he coaches and his family in the audience, many of whom were trying to predict how many times he would break down during his speech. “My Miller [high school] kids are out there, and I’m seeing five breakdowns. And then my own kids are sitting there saying, ‘We got you at three [breakdowns].’ So, you know, I held it together enough that they all lost.”

Had Astros relievers John Hudek and Todd Jones not gotten injured in the 1990s, Wagner may have never had the chance to blow 100 mph fastballs past hitters for 16 seasons. We might never have seen him enter the field in the ninth inning to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” which, for the record, he began using as his walk-up song before Mariano Rivera.

As fate would have it -- and is so often the case in baseball -- one player’s bad luck can lead to another player’s fortune. That's a story Wagner knows very well. His career was as unlikely as it was dominating, taking him from a tough upbringing on the farms of Virginia to the Major Leagues and into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Wagner, a seven-time All-Star, finished his career with 422 saves in 16 seasons with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves -- the eighth-most all time and second most by a left-hander behind John Franco (424). Wagner used an electric 100-mph fastball to generate incredible power from his small frame, making him one of the most dominant pitchers in history.

"When I walked through the Hall the first time, it was mind boggling to think of my name being there with the greats of the greats,” Wagner said. “It will definitely take some time to sink in. Even since they announced that I made it, I haven’t had a chance to sit back and go, ‘Holy cow.’ It’s been a whirlwind.”

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Not only is Wagner the first left-handed relief pitcher to be voted into the Hall of Fame, he’s the first from a Division III school -- tiny Ferrum College in Ferrum, Va. But here’s the most unlikely part -- Wagner was a natural right-hander who broke his right arm twice at seven years old and learned to throw left-handed by tossing a ball against a barn.

“To every kid out there, this is my message to you,” Wagner said in his speech. “Obstacles are not a road block. Obstacles are stepping stones. They build you and shape you, define you. I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t left-handed. I wasn’t supposed to be here. There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame. Now, there are eight because I refused to give up, or give in. I refused to listen to the outside critics, and I never stopped working. That’s what this game does for you: It teaches you about life, it teaches you how to persevere. Don’t fear failure. Embrace it, because perseverance isn’t just a trait, it’s a path to greatness.”

Wagner didn’t get many college offers because he was only throwing in the mid-80s in high school, but by his sophomore year at Ferrum, he was in the mid-90s and scouts took notice. The Astros took him as a starter with the No. 21 overall pick in 1993.

“I give 100 percent credit to scouting director Dan O’Brien and to our scouting personnel,” former Astros general manager Bill Wood said.

Wagner made the transition to reliever after getting called up to Houston in 1995. Hudek and Jones were injured, and Astros manager Terry Collins decided to give Wagner a shot.

“There really weren't any alternatives and they just threw me in there to see what it was like,” Wagner said. “Being young and naïve, you just kind of do whatever they tell you to do. I enjoyed it. I had a rubber arm, so it didn’t really bother me. I enjoyed being able to have to be ready every day.”

Soon, the legend of “Billy the Kid” was born. He was throwing 100 mph gas in an era when very few pitchers did, especially from the left side. And the fact he stood only 5-foot-9 made him a unicorn in the game.

“Now, the guys who go out on the mound and throw 100 and 105, everybody is 6-foot-4 or better,” Wagner said.

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Wagner threw three scoreless innings for his first career save, which came on June 14, 1996, for the Astros against the Giants. He saved nine games that season, including striking out Giants sluggers Barry Bonds and Matt Williams on six pitches with the bases loaded in the ninth inning on Aug. 4.

“There’s not just one save that sets you apart,” Wagner said. “Every game for me was a must-have save.”

Wagner came up with one of the most dominant seasons seen from a closer in 1999, when he saved an Astros franchise-record 39 games with a 1.57 ERA. Wagner had more saves than hits allowed (35) and struck out 124 batters in 74 2/3 innings, averaging 15 strikeouts per nine innings.

On June 11, 2003, he recorded the final three outs of a six-pitcher no-hitter thrown by the Astros against the Yankees -- the first no-hitter thrown against the Bronx Bombers in 45 years.

“It’s Yankee Stadium! Babe Ruth, all the greats have been there,” Wagner said. “It was unbelievable how that went down. From that seventh on, there was no chance they were going to do anything. None.”

Wagner saved a club-record 225 games for the Astros, who traded him to the Phillies following the 2003 season. Wagner went on to save another 197 games for the Phillies, Mets, Red Sox, and Braves. He saved his 300th game with the Mets in 2006 and 400th in his final year in Atlanta.

“I joined the Mets because going to New York would be one way to try to get to the Hall of Fame, and it wasn’t going to be easy when you have the greatest closer across town [Rivera],” Wagner said. “I also knew coming from a small town, the environment was going to be difficult.”

Wagner retired with 11.92 strikeouts-per-nine innings and a .187 opponents’ batting average, both of which are by far the best career totals of any pitcher in Major League history.

“When you turn the ball over to a guy like that in the ninth inning, it's game, set, match usually,” Hall of Fame teammate Craig Biggio said.

Wagner’s final save came on Oct. 3, 2010, for the Braves against the Phillies. In the last game of Braves manager Bobby Cox’s Hall of Fame career, Wagner recorded four outs -- all by strikeout, of course -- for save No. 422. He said it’s the most nervous he’s ever been on the field.

“I knew if I didn’t get that save, we couldn’t make the playoffs and I wouldn’t make it out of Georgia because Bobby Cox wouldn’t be going to the playoffs,” he said. “A little nerve-wracking, but as a closer you only get so many opportunities.”

And Wagner certainly made the most of his.