TAZEWELL, Va. – Billy Wagner’s baseball career has provided the left-handed pitcher with plenty of proud moments.
The Tazewell High School graduate is a six-time MLB All-Star selection and has racked up 385 saves over the course of his 15-year big-league career.
Three months ago, Wagner had one of his most inspiring Major League moments.
On Aug. 28, Wagner took the mound for the New York Mets in a game against the Atlanta Braves at New York’s Citi Field. It marked his first game in nearly a year, after undergoing major elbow surgery.
Wagner retired all three batters he faced that night, proving the 38-year-old was far from finished.
“Everybody had told me my career was over and that I wasn’t going to pitch this year,” Wagner said. “What made it so special was when I came back, the whole stadium gave me a standing ovation and that was pretty emotional.
“I got a little tongue-tied and a little knot [in my stomach], plus I’m out there trying to get people out. I didn’t want to get too emotional, but it was very special and something I’ll always remember.”
It was one of many memorable moments this past season for Wagner, who returned to his hometown on Saturday afternoon for the third annual 2nd Chance Learning Center baseball clinic.
Wagner is currently a free agent and has been linked to several teams by various media sources. That’s a long way from where he was at this time last year, when he was awaiting surgery and an uncertain future.
“I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted to do with baseball, by being home,” Wagner said. “Being around my kids and kind of having a normal life, it allowed me to appreciate
the whole professional baseball season. It allowed me to kind of recover, get healthy and enjoy my family. To me, that made it easier to rehab.”
Wagner did return and went 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 17 regular season games with the Mets and Boston Red Sox. He was traded to Boston in late-August, his first foray into the
American League.
“I respect those pitchers in the American League. That is no joke. Every hitter, one through nine, is a .300 hitter with power and speed,” Wagner said. “It was tough, man. That’s a tough league to play in. It was fun to go over there and experience that type of baseball rivalry [with the New York Yankees] and plus going to Boston. You have the tradition and all that is involved in it. It just makes things that much better.”
Wagner helped Boston secure the American League Wild Card, but the Red Sox lost to the Los Angeles Angels in the AL divisional series. It was another tough postseason for
Wagner, who has been to the playoffs six times, but has never advanced to the World Series.
“You’ve got to be in the right place at the right time,” Wagner said. “You’ve got to have a little luck on your side and I just haven’t been very lucky when it comes to pitching in the playoffs.
“You’ve got to get there to kind of experience it and breakthrough. I’ve been there a handful of times and wouldn’t trade any of it. All the times it didn’t work out for me, I learned a lot about myself and my teammates.”
As Wagner gave advice and signed autographs for the youngsters at Saturday’s clinic, he didn’t have much to say about where he might be pitching next season.
“It’s one of those situations for the most part, where your career’s up in limbo,” said Wagner. “I’ve had 15 great years. I’ve accomplished a lot of things I didn’t think I would accomplish.”
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