The flame-throwing left-hander Billy Wagner established himself as one of the most elite closers in his prime. Being only 5-foot-9, his deadly 100-mph fastball paired with an 80s slider used to dominate batters. Across his 16-season MLB journey, he became an All-Star 7 times. The 54-year-old who is HOF bound has now cleared a misconception on where he learned his dangerous slider.
Overall, Wagner stacked 422 saves in his journey. He was league-wide famous for his legendary slider. At times, his fastball was as fast as 101 mph, and he used to blend it with a slider that used to look like a fastball until the very last moment.
During a recent media appearance with MLB Network, Wagner provided an intriguing clarification about his slider. He made his debut for the Astros in 1995, and then in July 1998, he met Randy Johnson, who was new to Houston at that time. There is a common misconception that Johnson taught Wagner his devastating slider. But per Wagner, he did not.
“[Randy Johnson] likes to say he taught me the slider; he did not. Brad Lidge taught me the slider… Unit, you get no credit for this,” Wagner was quoted as saying by the MLB Network.
“[Randy Johnson] likes to say he taught me the slider, he did not. Brad Lidge taught me the slider… Unit, you get no credit for this.”
Billy Wagner clears up some misconceptions on where he learned his dangerous slider in 2003. pic.twitter.com/VyzFuzWkcE
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 26, 2025
Brad Lidge and Billy Wagner happened to be teammates in the Astros and, sometime later, in the Philadelphia Phillies as well. Together, they used to form a powerful relief duo. Back in 2003, Lidge taught Wagner a slider pitch that turned out to be a crucial part of his arsenal.
Interestingly, during his playing days, Wagner was called “Billy the Kid.” Standing at just 5-foot-9 and weighing around 185 pounds, he was an anomaly. Consistently hitting 100 mph on the radar gun in an era when such velocities were not commonplace, especially from a left-handed pitcher was remarkable.
Wagner actually happens to be the first lefty closer to be elected into Cooperstown.
Billy Wagner’s Hall of Fame moment
After all these years of waiting, Billy Wagner officially made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. “Well, after seeing how a lot of guys like Lee Smith and Ted Simmons and (other) guys had to wait their turn to get to this point and go through the veterans committee, and how hard it is to get in here, you know, it’s well worth the wait,” he admitted.
It’s truly no small feat. The dominant relief pitcher Lee Smith waited till 2018 for his induction. Whereas Ted Simmons—the legendary catcher—was elected in 2019. Wagner acknowledges all the hard work it takes to make it to Cooperstown.
He’s the ninth pitcher in the Hall of Fame who was primarily a reliever. Plus, he’s the only lefty on the list. By just a mere five votes, he missed his election in 2024. With that experience, this year’s voting day was just as tense for Wagner. It was understandably one of the longest days of his life. “It was like the clock stopped,” he said, before adding, “The emotions were running high, and I was just trying to keep myself busy and get through the day.”
Then finally the much-awaited phone call rang, and Wagner received the news of his induction.
He’s usually calm but admitted how nervous he was before the announcement. It’s definitely a well-deserved recognition to a beautiful 16-season journey, isn’t it?
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