William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971 in Marion, Virginia), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He pitched for the Houston Astros (1995–2003), the Philadelphia Phillies (2004–2005), the New York Mets (2006–2009), the Boston Red Sox (2009), and the Atlanta Braves (2010). Wagner is one of only six Major League relief pitchers to accumulate a total of 400 or more saves in his baseball career. A left-handed batter and thrower, Wagner stands 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighs 180 pounds (82 kg).\n', '

A natural-born right-hander, Wagner learned to throw left-handed after fracturing his arm twice in his youth in Marion. 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 made seven MLB All-Star appearances and was the 1999 National League (NL) Rolaids Relief Man Award winner. He finished in the top ten in saves in the NL ten times in his career and in the top ten in games finished nine times.\n', '

Wagner was born to 18-year-old Yvonne and 20-year-old William "Hotsey" 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."\n', '

Return to Billy Wagner Autograph Profile