---

An underappreciated elite reliever, Billy Wagner was as dominant as they come. One of only six Major League pitchers to reach the 400-save plateau, Wagner made the All Star team seven times.

Generously listed at 5’10” the fireballing southpaw was a first-round pick in the 1993 draft and was promoted to the big leagues in 1995. Among pitchers with at least 900 innings, Wagner’s career 11.92 strikeouts per nine innings and .187 opponent’s batting average are the best in history.

His 27.7 career WAR ranks just behind Hall of Fame reliever Trevor Hoffman (28.12). It also ranks above Cooperstown men Rollie Fingers and Bruce Sutter.

Wagner had nine seasons of 30 or more saves and finished with 422 for his career. The lefty posted an ERA of 2.50 or less in nine seasons including five campaigns with a sub-2.00 mark.

A six-time All Star, Wagner played for five different teams. In 2003 he led the league with 67 games finished. Playing for Houston that season, Wagner had 44 saves and a 1.78 ERA.

With the Phillies two years later he finished 70 games with 38 saves and a 1.51 ERA. In his final season in 2010 Wagner went 7-2 with a 1.43 ERA and 37 saves.

By many measures, Wagner is one of the most effective pitchers in baseball history. In 2025 Wagner was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the first pitcher with less than 1,000 innings.

In the collection is this 1996 contract extension between Topps Chewing Gum and one of the best relievers baseball has ever known.

---

Billy Wagner’s 422 saves place him sixth on the all-time list. Only Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601), Lee Smith (478), and All Stars Francisco Rodriguez (437), John Franco (424) have more.

Among lefties, Wagner is second only to Franco in saves. Looking at the two pitchers, it’s clear Wagner is far superior.

Though Franco has two more saves than Wagner, it took him five additional seasons. Franco tallied 30 or more saves in 8 of his 21 seasons with a high of 39 in 1988. Wagner reached the 30-save plateau 9 time in 16 seasons, reaching 40 saves twice with a high of 44 in 2003.

Wagner’s strikeouts per nine innings is a masterful 11.9; Franco comes in at 7.0 K/9. The dominance of Wagner becomes clearer the closer you look.

Opponents hit .187 off of him. In a lower run-scoring environment, hitters batted 49 points higher off of Franco. When it comes to ERA+ Wagner far outpaces Franco, 187-138. The cumulative statistic of WAR favors Wagner as well. Despite pitching 342 1/3 less less innings, Wagner’s WAR (27.7) outshines Franco’s (23.4).

Wagner’s greatness was recognized when the writers voted him into the Hall of Fame. Cooperstown class of 2025, Wagner got the honor along with four others.

In addition to Wagner, the writers selected Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia in their first year on the ballot. The Veterans Committee chose Dick Allen and Dave Parker.

Shown here is a Strat-O-Matic card from 2000 autographed by John Franco. Bucknell University math major Hal Richman originated the Strat-O-Matic game in 1961. Advertised in Sports Illustrated and sold out of Richman’s basement, Strat-O-Matic gave its players the ability to make managerial decisions based on MLB statistics.

---

Billy Wagner struck out 936 men in the ninth inning. When he left the game, that was the record for most Ks by a pitcher in any inning of play. Since then only Craig Kimbrel has surpassed Wanger’s mark.

The top mark for a starting pitcher is Nolan Ryan’s 845 first-inning strikeouts. The Express also holds the record for most second-inning Ks with 843.

In the collection is the All Star ring receipt that Kimbrel signed in his rookie year of 2011. One must imagine how surreal it must’ve been for the youngster to stand alongside the greatest players in the game in the Midsummer Classic.

---

Billy Wagner is one of the greatest relievers in baseball history. Despite that status, it took ten years on the ballot before the writers voted him into the Hall of Fame.

The main knock against Wagner is the brevity of his on-field performance. Indeed, he is the first Hall of Fame hurler with less than 1,000 innings.

Detractors of Wagner’s inclusion in the baseball shrine point to his 903 innings. When he did get into the game, Wagner was simply dominant.

The pros and cons of his career translated into a ten-year wait to get his plaque. As part of Cooperstown class of 2025, Wagner joins first-ballot writers’ selections Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia. The Veterans Committee gave the nod to Dick Allen and Dave Parker.

The above contract is signed by Sabathia as a high school junior. To learn more about it, click here.

Sabathia was nearly untouchable as a prep star. In 45 2/3 innings he struck out 82 batters while allowing only 14 hits. He went undefeated for the Vallejo Apaches and was named the top high school prospect in Northern California by Baseball America.