Billy Wagner #13

POSTSEASON: Closed out New York's 2-0 win over the Cardinals in Game One of the NLCS...It was his third postseason save tying him for the most career saves in club history with Armando Benitez and Tug McGraw...Earned his first career postseason save in New York's 6-5 win in Game One of the NLDS vs.Los Angeles...Also notched a save in Game Two vs. LA in the Mets' 4-1 victory. 2005 Finished the season with a career-best 1.51 ERA, the lowest among all NL relievers and second lowest in the majors (Mariano Rivera, 1.38)...Ranks seventh among active relievers and 21st all-time with 284 career saves...Ranks third on the All-Time Save List among lefthanded relievers...Led all major league relievers in games finished (70)...Among NL relievers, ranked second in opponents average (.165), third in save percentage (92.7), fourth in strikeouts, seventh in saves, tied for eighth in innings and ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.08)...Had the sixth 30-save season of his career and his fifth consecutive 20-save season (ninth overall)...Began the season with an 11.0-inning scoreless streak (10 games)...Earned the 250th save of his career, April 25th at Washington in a 5-4 triumph...Picked up his second career hit, May 1st vs. Florida...Named to the NL All-Star team, his fourth All-Star selection, but did not appear in the game...Suffered the loss on July 3rd vs. Atlanta to snap his streak of 82 consecutive appearances without a loss...Compiled a 0.54 ERA (two earned runs/33.1 innings) over his final 33 games, which began with a season-best 18.2-inning scoreless streak from July 22nd-September 5th...Had a 19.0-inning scoreless streak in road games, May 25th-September 30th...The Phillies went 18-1 over a 19-game stretch of his appearances, July 19th-September 1st...Suffered losses on back-to-back days, September 6th and September 7th vs. Houston, only the second time in his career he took the loss in back-to-back appearances...Struck out six batters in his final 2.1 innings. 2004 Had a 1.69 ERA in 25 save situations...Finished first among National League relievers with 1.12 walks per nine innings and fifth with 10.99 strikeouts per nine innings...Earned a win or save in the club's first five wins (1-0, 4 saves)...Pitched in four consecutive games for second time in his career, April 15th-April 18th...Placed on 15-Day Disabled List on May 14th (retroactive to May 8th), with a strained right groin muscle...Activated on June 8th...The walk he issued on June 19th vs. Kansas City was his first of the season and snapped a 28.2-inning streak of not issuing an unintentional walk, dating back to 2003...Did not allow an earned run in 18 straight appearances (19.1 innings) from July 1st-September 23rd...Placed on the 15-Day Disabled List for a second time on July 30th (retroactive to July 22nd), with a strained left rotator cuff...Activated on September 4th...Had his first career ejection on September 11th at the Mets for throwing at Cliff Floyd...Served a two-game suspension, September 17th-September 18th, for his actions following the ejection...Phillies went 40-6 in his 46 appearances, including 17-0 to finish the season. 2003 Named Astros Pitcher of the Year by the Houston Chapter of BBWAA...Reached career highs in saves, innings and games...His 44 saves set a Houston franchise record, breaking his own of 39, set twice (1999 and 2001)...Finished third in majors in saves, behind Los Angeles's Eric Gagne (55) and Atlanta's John Smoltz (45)...Ranked third in the National League in save percentage (.936)...Among NL relievers, was tied for first in games finished (67), second in strikeouts, third in opponents average (.169), and fifth in ERA, innings and strikeouts per nine innings (10.99)...Became 20th pitcher in major league history to record 30 or more saves in at least five seasons...Converted 16 straight save opportunities from May 2nd-June 17th, including 11 in May to tie with Eric Gagne for most in the majors...Recorded his 200th career save to set the all-time Houston record (surpassing Dave Smith's 199) on June 8th vs. Tampa Bay...Pitched perfect ninth inning to close out a combined six-pitcher no-hitter in an 8-0 win on June 11th at the Yankees...It was the first no-hitter against New York since 1958...Had a season-best 20.2 innings scoreless streak from July 2nd-August 19th (eight hits, five walks, 28 strikeouts)...Made his third career All-Star appearance on July 15th at U.S. Cellular Field...Pitched 1.0 inning, yielding a run...Converted his final 22 save opportunities of season (July 8th-September 22nd), a franchise record...Also held the previous record of 19 consecutive saves converted...Appeared in two games in the NLDS vs. Atlanta. 2002 Pitched in a career-high 70 games for the Astros, going 4-2 with a 2.52 ERA (21ER/75IP) and 35 saves...the 75 innings pitched were also a career-high total...ranked ninth in the National League in saves...had 35 saves in 41 opportunities...inducted into the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame in Salem, Va., in February 2003...did not allow a run in his last 14 appearances, throwing 16.0 innings and lowering his ERA from 3.15 to 2.52 from Aug. 23-Sept. 25...allowed only six hits while walking three and striking out 18...his 35-save season gave him 181 for his career, trailing only Dave Smith (199) in franchise history...single-season save total also ranked fourth in franchise history...converted 181 of 216 (83.8 percent) save chances during his career...386 appearances rank fourth in club history...surpassed Joe Sambito (353, 1976-82, 84) on July 12 vs. Cincinnati, becoming the franchise leader for a left-hander...has 20-or-more saves in five seasons, one shy of Smith's franchise-record six...recorded 10 saves in August with a 3.00 ERA (5ER/15IP) in 14 appearances...recorded nine saves in 11 outings from Aug. 1-23...in his sixth blown save of 2002 on Aug. 9 vs. Atlanta, allowed a season-high three runs in the ninth inning, his most since giving up four on May 24, 2000 vs. Philadelphia...had saves in four consecutive appearances (8/1-6)...had eight saves and an 0.82 ERA (1ER/11IP) over 11 games from July 17-Aug. 6...charged with his fifth blown save when Pittsburgh's Aramis Ramirez hit a game-tying, ninth-inning, leadoff homer on July 27...earned his third win...also suffered a blown save when Ramirez hit a two-run homer on July 15...hit with his second blown save and first since April 18, but earned the win on June 16 vs. Texas...the win was his first since May 9, 2001, snapping a five-game losing streak from May 23, 2001-May 24, 2002...posted a 1.93 ERA (3ER/14IP) and five saves over 13 games in May...earned the 150th save of his big league career on May 4 against the Mets...allowed a game-tying, three-run homer (A. Boone) in the ninth on April 18 at Cincinnati for his first blown save...then worked 12.0 scoreless innings (4/21-5/23). 2001 Converted 39 of 41 save opportunities (95.1 percent) en route to being named to the NL All-Star team...Converted 18 straight save opportunities (25 games) from May 12th-July 26th...Placed on the 15-Day Disabled List on June 4th with a left forearm strain...Activated on June 18th. 2000 Missed the final three-and-a-half months of the season after suffering from a partially torn flexor tendon in his left elbow ... underwent surgery on June 27 and remained on the disabled list for the rest of the year ... Surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Lewis Yocum with Astros Team Medical Director David Lintner assisting in the procedure ... a partial tear in in the flexor tendon was reattached to the bone ... additionally, a buildup of scar tissue was removed ... Began the year in typical fashion, saving three of the Astros' first four wins while retiring 16 of the first 20 batters he faced in 2000 ... Notched his first save of the year on Opening Day at Pittsburgh on April 4 ... also recorded saves on April 9 vs. Philadelphia and on April 12 vs. St. Louis ... allowed just one run in his first six appearances ... Tagged with his first blown save and first loss of the year on April 23 after allowing the winning run to score in an 11-10 slugfest with the Padres ... Recorded a save on May 4, his fourth of the year, at Chicago (NL).retired all four batters he faced ... Earned his first win of the year on May 7 at Los Angeles in a 14-8 victory, working 1.1 innings ... retired the side after entering the game with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth inning ... Suffered back-to-back blown saves on May 12 and 13 vs. Cincinnati, his second and third of the year ... His fourth blown save occurred in the first game of a May 22 doubleheader at Milwaukee ... entered the game in the ninth inning with a 9-6 lead but allowed three runs as the Brewers overcame a seven-run deficit to win the game, 10-9, in 10 innings ... Suffered his fifth blown save and was charged with his third loss on May 24 in a 9-7 defeat vs. Philadelphia.gave up four, ninth inning runs including a go-ahead homer ... Yielded a game-tying run in the ninth inning in a 5-4, 10-inning victory over Atlanta on May 26 ... it was his sixth blown save and fifth in a row ... Notched his first save since May 4 on May 28 vs. Atlanta, preserving a 4-3 lead ... Suffered his seventh blown save on June 9 at San Diego but notched the win as Houston rallied for two runs in the ninth inning in a 7-6 victory ... Recorded his sixth save on June 13 at Colorado after pitching a scoreless ninth inning ... his eighth blown save came at the hands of Todd Helton's ninth inning game-tying solo homer two days later ... His last appearance was on June 17 at San Francisco when he walked four batters, allowing two inherited runners to score in addition to another run allowed via a walk ... his failure to retire a batter in that outing marked only the second time in his career that he has not recorded an out in a single appearance (also: April 28, 1999 vs. Arizona). 1999 Won the NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award...Named to the National League All-Star team at Boston...Pitched a scoreless inning...His 39 saves set an Astros single-season record...Received three third-place votes in Cy Young balloting...Had more saves than hits allowed (35)...Averaged 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings with a career-high 124 strikeouts...Had a 19.1-inning scoreless streak from May 23rd-July 6th...Struck out eight straight batters from August 13th-August 18th...Finished the season with a 23.1-inning scoreless streak. 1998 Had the third-best single season for saves in club history with 30 ... only Doug Jones in 1992 (36) and Dave Smith in 1986 (33) have had higher single-season totals for Houston ... his 62 career saves are tied for fourth on the club's all-time list with Doug Jones (1992-93) ... he converted 19 consecutive save opportunities between his first blown save on April 12 at Los Angeles and his second on July 11 at St. Louis ... rebounded from his blown save on July 11 to earn his 22nd on July 14 at Arizona ... the next night at Bank One Ballpark, he was struck on the left side of his head behind the ear by a line drive off the bat of Kelly Stinnett in the bottom of the ninth while trying to hold onto an 8-7 Houston lead ... he was alert and conscious on the field as his vital signs remained good ... he was removed from the field on a stretcher after suffering a concussion ... after being hospitalized overnight in Phoenix, he returned to Houston on July 16 and was placed on the 15-day disabled list that day ... he worked on balance and coordination exercises before being cleared by doctors to go to Double A Jackson on a rehabilitation assignment ... he pitched in three games for the Generals, working 3.0 innings with no walks and seven strikeouts ... he was recalled from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the DL on August 6 ... on August 9 in the Astrodome, he returned to the mound working 1.0 scoreless inning in an 11-2 win over the Phillies ... in his next outing on August 10 against Milwaukee, he faced three batters, striking out the last two, to earn his 23rd save in a 5-2 Astros' victory ... on August 15 in a head-to-head battle against the Cubs in the Astrodome, he entered a 4-4 tie in the top of the 10th ... he struck out the first five batters he faced, including Mark Grace, Sammy Sosa and Brant Brown in the 10th, before the Astros scored in the bottom of the 11th to give him a 5-4 win ... he established his single-season best when he earned his 24th save on August 19 at Philadelphia ... his previous high was 23 in 1997 ... the next night in Milwaukee, he suffered his third blown save of the season when he gave up a two-out double to Marc Newfield to tie the game 5-5 ... the Astros eventually lost 6-5 in 10 innings ... he converted his next five save opportunities through September 12 before blowing opportunities in consecutive outings on September 14 and 16 against the Mets ... his 30th save came on September 20 at Pittsburgh when he pitched a scoreless ninth behind Shane Reynolds (7.0) and Jay Powell (1.0) in a 2-0 shutout ... he retired 34-of-58 first batters he faced and did not allow any of the nine baserunners he inherited to score ... averaged 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (97 SO/60.0 IP) over his 58 appearances ... for his career, he is averaging 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings (270 SO/178.1 IP) ... he struck out the side 11 times ... his single-game high for strikeouts was five, which he did twice, including June 14 at Cincinnati over 2.0 innings and August 15 against Chicago over 2.0 frames ... earned Houston's lone postseason victory, winning Game 2 in relief ... had allowed a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer to San Diego's Jim Leyritz in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at 4-4, but the Astros rallied in the bottom of the ninth with a run off San Diego's Trevor Hoffman for the victory. 1997 In his first full season as a major league closer he converted 23 of his 29 save opportunities, which tied for the ninth-best single season for saves in club history ... he struck out 106 batters in 66.1 innings, which established a major league record for strikeouts per nine innings pitched (minimum 50.0 innings) at 14.4 ... the previous record was 14.1, which was set by Cincinnati's Rob Dibble in 1992 (110SO/70.1IP) ... his 106 strikeouts established a club single-season record for relievers ... the previous mark was 104 by Danny Darwin in 1989 ... his 62 appearances topped the Houston staff ... had a strong April, going 2-1 with a 0.60 ERA and converting all five of his save opportunities ... he did not allow a run over his first 14.2 innings pitched to start the year ... the streak was snapped on April 28 in his final appearance of the month when Colorado's Vinny Castilla belted a two-out, solo homer in the top of the 10th to snap a 6-6 tie and deal the Astros a 7-6 loss ... he converted his first four save opportunities in May to run his season-opening streak to nine straight ... his first blown save came on May 21 against Cincinnati when he allowed the game-tying run in the eighth, even though the Astros won the contest 4- 3 in 14 innings ... his strong work continued through the end of July when his record stood at 7-3 with a 1.64 ERA (9ER/49.1IP) and 19 saves in 22 opportunities ... his month of July was similar to April in that he did not allow a run until his final appearance of the month on the 29th against St. Louis ... he pitched 12.2 innings before a two-out single by Delino DeShields drove in a run in Houston's 5-4 victory ... August proved to be his most difficult month of the year as he went 0-3 with a 9.72 ERA and failed to convert his two save opportunities ... he allowed nine earned runs in 8.1 innings in August, which was as many earned runs as he had allowed over the first four months of the season combined ... he bounced back with a strong September, going 0-2, but converting his last four save opportunities ... in the five appearances covered to convert those four saves, he did not allow a hit or walk in the 3.2 innings pitched and struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced ... for the season, he struck out the side 13 times ... some of his best work came against the two clubs chasing the Astros in the NL Central race, Pittsburgh and St. Louis ... his combined numbers against those teams were 1-0 with a 0.71 ERA and a perfect five-for-five on his save opportunities in 10 games ... in 12.2 innings combined, the Bucs and Redbirds could manage only five hits and one earned run against him, while he walked only five batters and struck out 28 ... in the post-season, he pitched in only one game of the NL Division Series against Atlanta ... he allowed three hits and two earned runs in one inning of Houston's 13-3 loss in Game Two at Turner Field. 1996 Started his year as a Triple A starter and finished by becoming a major league closer ... had a 6-2 record with a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts for Tucson to start the season ... his contract was recalled from Tucson on June 2 when the club asked for waivers for the purpose of granting an unconditional release to Greg Swindell ... he joined the major league club to work in relief and came out of the bullpen on June 6 against Colorado in the Astrodome ... he worked 3.1 innings in a 14-7 loss to loss, following starter Doug Drabek, who lasted only 1.2 frames ... earned his first major league decision in his next appearance on June 8 at home against the Phillies, a 7-3 win ... he entered a 3-3 tie in the sixth and left after seven innings with the Astros ahead 7-3 ... his first major league save came on June 14 at San Francisco ... he pitched three shutout innings in relief of Mike Hampton in a 9-1 Houston victory ... struck out a career-high seven of the 11 batters he faced on June 26 at Los Angeles, but did not get the save as Todd Jones came on to record the final out in a 4-2 win ... his second save came six days later at San Diego ... he allowed a hit and a walk, but held on to a 4-3 win for Donne Wall ... he fanned five batters on August 4 against San Francisco in the Astrodome, including Barry Bonds and Matt Williams on a combined six pitches with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, for his eighth save ... was placed on the 15-day DL on August 23 after suffering a strained left groin muscle at home on August 22 in an 8-6 loss to Pittsburgh ... he was reinstated on September 7 ... converted nine of his 13 save opportunities ... allowed only 28 hits and struck out 67 batters in 51.2 innings, an average of 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings ... opponents only hit .165 (28x170) against him and lefthanded hitters only .083 (2x24) ... named to the Topps Rookie All-Star Team following the season. 1995 Saw his first major league action after being drafted by Houston in the first round of the June, 1993 draft ... after spending much of the season at Double A Jackson and Triple A Tucson, his contract was purchased by the Astros on September 12 ... made his major league debut the next night at New York, retiring the only batter he faced in a 10-5 defeat ... it was his only appearance with the Astros in 1995.