April 7, 2004: Billy Wagner records three-strikeout save in Phillies debut

At the end of the 2003 season, his ninth with the Houston Astros, Hall of Fame-bound reliever Billy Wagner publicly questioned management’s commitment to winning after the Astros missed the postseason by one game. He was swiftly traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, who were in search of an upgrade at closer. In the Phillies’ second game of 2004, Wagner debuted with a three-strikeout ninth inning, saving a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 7 at PNC Park.

Wagner reached the major leagues with the Astros in September 1995. By 1997 he had assumed the closer’s role in Houston.1 His 118 saves from 2001 through 2003, pushing his career total to a franchise-record 225, tied fellow future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees for the majors’ most during that span.

But the Astros – who won the National League Central Division four times in five seasons from 1997 through 2001 – came in second for the second straight season in 2003, a game behind the Chicago Cubs. Wagner criticized Astros owner Drayton McLane. “This team is based on competing, not winning,” he asserted after the season finale. “We had all offseason to sign [another pitcher], and there were guys who wanted to come here. But they didn’t want to pay them.”2 Wagner had also characterized Houston as “not a baseball town” in Sports Illustrated. “Sometimes here they’re not sure when to cheer and when to boo.”3

In Philadelphia, José Mesa had followed up two solid seasons with a 6.52 ERA campaign in 2003, and several members of the Phils bullpen had shared closer duties in August and September.4 The Phillies, who finished third in the NL East Division, declined Mesa’s option and looked for a replacement.5

On November 3, the Phillies and Astros made the first trade of the 2003-04 offseason. Swingman Brandon Duckworth and two pitching prospects went to Houston for the 32-year-old Wagner, who was under contract for $8 million for 2004, plus a $9 million option year.6

“There’s no question in our mind that Billy was the top guy [available],” Phillies general manager Ed Wade said.7

“I’m excited about going to Philadelphia because they’ve obviously made a commitment to winning a championship, and that’s what you want as a player,” Wagner said.8

As it happened, Wagner spent Opening Day 2004 in PNC Park’s visitors’ bullpen watching Mesa, now with the Pirates, save Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win.9 The Pirates had finished fourth in the NL Central in 2003, their 11th losing season in a row.

The series continued after an offday, and Philadelphia went ahead in the third inning against right-hander Kris Benson, pitching for the first time since a shoulder injury ended his 2003 season in July.10 Three straight hits – Plácido Polanco’s single, Jim Thome’s double, and Pat Burrell’s RBI single – gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead and runners at the corners with no outs.

Bobby Abreu’s fly ball was too shallow for Thome to score, and the first of many basepath miscalculations by both teams followed. With Burrell running on a full count, Mike Lieberthal struck out. Catcher Jason Kendall’s throw to second trapped Burrell in a rundown. Thome took off for home, but second baseman José Castillo, in his first major-league game, threw to Kendall, who tagged Thome for the third out.11

The Pirates responded with two runs in the bottom of the third, despite shaky baserunning of their own. Batting for the first time in the majors, Castillo singled off lefty Randy Wolf and took second on Benson’s sacrifice. But the 23-year-old Venezuelan strayed too far from the base on Tike Redman’s grounder to short, and Jimmy Rollins threw to second baseman Polanco to tag out Castillo.12

Redman then reached third on Kendall’s second double of the game, but Kendall apparently expected the speedy center fielder to attempt to score. When Redman instead held up at third, Kendall was stuck between second and third. But Kendall avoided first baseman Thome’s lunging tag in the rundown, and Redman scored.13 A single by offseason free-agent signing Raúl Mondesi brought home Kendall for a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead.

Benson maintained the lead until the fifth. Marlon Byrd led off with a single and reached third on Polanco’s double. One out later, Burrell’s single drove in Byrd. Polanco scored on Abreu’s groundout, and the Phillies were up, 3-2.

It was the Pirates’ turn to rally in the sixth. Craig Wilson bashed Wolf’s first pitch 411 feet, high over the center-field fence, for his second homer in two games.14 After J.J. Davis drew a one-out walk, Phillies manager Larry Bowa brought in lefty Rhéal Cormier – of six members of Philadelphia’s 2003 bullpen with at least 56 appearances in 2003, the only one to return in ’04.15

Davis moved up when Lieberthal mishandled Cormier’s two-strike pitch to Jack Wilson for a passed ball. Wilson then sliced an RBI double down the right-field line for a 4-3 Pittsburgh lead.16 Wilson, however, was doubled off on Castillo’s liner to short.

In relief of Benson, former Phil Jason Boyd pitched around Wolf’s two-out double for a scoreless sixth, and lefty Mike Johnston made his major-league debut in the seventh. The 25-year-old Johnston, a Philadelphia-area native, had dropped out of high school at age 15 because of Tourette’s syndrome before being discovered in American Legion play. He walked Polanco but retired Thome on a fly ball and struck out Burrell and Abreu to preserve the lead.17

Baserunning cost the Pirates another scoring opportunity in the seventh. Bobby Hill, batting for Johnston, led off with a single but was caught stealing.

Right-hander Brian Boehringer had been effective as Pittsburgh’s eighth-inning reliever in 2002, but he struggled in 2003, his ERA swelling by more than two runs. Manager Lloyd McClendon gave him the ball for the eighth. Lieberthal led off with a single, and Rollins’ double sent pinch-runner Doug Glanville to third.

David Bell walked on a full count to load the bases. Boehringer went to 3-and-2 again on pinch-hitter Ricky Ledée, then missed the strike zone to force in the tying run. Brian Meadows was summoned from the bullpen.

Jack Wilson fielded Byrd’s grounder in the hole between short and third.18 Wilson threw to second for a force out, but Byrd beat the throw to first as Rollins scored. Byrd was doubled off on Polanco’s liner to second, ending the inning with the Phillies in front, 5-4.

Philadelphia’s bullpen remodel had included signing right-hander Tim Worrell, who had relieved in 229 games for the San Francisco Giants over the previous three seasons.19 In for the eighth, Worrell hung an off-speed pitch to Mondesi, who pulled it into PNC Park’s vast left-field gap.

Burrell picked up the ball near the warning track, and Mondesi rounded second and headed for third. Rollins’ strong relay to Bell arrived before Mondesi’s headfirst slide, and Mondesi was out.20 He was the game’s sixth player caught stealing, thrown out trying to take an extra base, or doubled up on a line drive. Craig Wilson followed with a single, but Worrell turned Chris Stynes’ comebacker into an inning-ending double play.

Wagner made his entrance for the ninth. “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” thumped from PNC Park’s speakers, aiming to rouse the Wednesday night crowd.21 As an Astro, Wagner had been nearly flawless in PNC Park’s first three seasons: nine appearances, four of five successful save opportunities. His only misstep was in July 2001, when he allowed Brian Giles’ walk-off grand slam to cap an improbable seven-run Pirate rally with two outs in the ninth inning.22

Wagner’s first pitch zipped 99 MPH from his left hand to Lieberthal’s mitt, and Davis swung and missed.23 On a full count, Davis took strike three.

Jack Wilson singled to left, putting the potential tying run on first. Wagner got ahead of Castillo with two strikes, then missed low. Castillo swung and missed at the next pitch, clocked at 98 MPH, and Wagner needed just one more out.24

Switch-hitter Abraham Núñez, batting for Meadows, fouled off two pitches, then took a 98 MPH delivery for the final strike. Wagner had his 226th career save.25

“This was a special day for me,” he said afterward. “You always want to impress. It was a real good feeling.”26

“Once [Wagner] comes in, you just sit back,” Bowa added.27

Wagner saved 21 games during an injury-plagued 2004 season, then recorded 38 saves in 2005.28 When the contract he had signed with the Astros expired after the 2005 season, the New York Mets outbid the Phillies to sign Wagner as a free agent.29 He spent nearly all of the final five seasons of his career on Philadelphia’s NL East rival Mets and Atlanta Braves,30 retiring in 2010 with 422 career saves and getting voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.31

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Andrew Harner and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Billy Wagner, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play. The author also reviewed game coverage from the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspapers; and SABR Baseball Biography Project biographies of several players involved in this game, especially Dr. Leslie Heaphy’s Billy Wagner biography.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT200404070.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B04070PIT2004.htm

Notes

1 Carlton Thompson, “The Kid Is All Right: Wagner Regains Finishing Touch; Springer Is No September Slouch Either,” Houston Chronicle, September 30, 1997: 4D.

2 Michael Murphy, “Wagner Says Brass Won’t Go for Broke: Astros Win Finale, Finish One Game Out,” Houston Chronicle, September 29, 2003: 2B.

3 Tom Verducci, “Houston, We Have Liftoff: With a Weekend Sweep of the Cardinals, the Astros Took Command in the NL Central and Gave a Football Town Reason to Believe in Its Baseball Team,” Sports Illustrated, September 22, 2003, https://vault.si.com/vault/2003/09/22/houston-we-have-liftoff-with-a-weekend-sweep-of-the-cardinals-the-astros-took-command-in-the-nl-central-and-gave-a-football-town-reason-to-believe-in-its-baseball-team.

4 Todd Zolecki, “Mesa Loses the Game, and His Job: For Now, Phillies Will Go with Closer-by-Committee Approach,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 4, 2003: C1; Todd Zolecki, “Closer Conundrum: Mesa Out, Job Open,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 6, 2003: D1.

5 Paul Hagen, “Phillies Pick Up Option on Cormier, Cut Mesa, Williams Loose,” Philadelphia Daily News, October 15, 2003: 72.

6 The Astros received Taylor Buchholz, who had pitched in Double A in 2003, and Ezequiel Astacio, who had pitched in Class A. Todd Zolecki, “Phillies Close Deal for a Bullpen Ace: Lefthanded Fireballer Billy Wagner, One of Baseball’s Best, Fills the Phillies’ Top Need: a Replacement for Jose Mesa,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 4, 2003: F6; Jose de Jesus Ortiz, “Astros Dump All-Star Closer: In Cost-Cutting Move, Wagner Sent to Phillies,” Houston Chronicle, November 4, 2003: 10A.

7 Zolecki, “Phillies Close Deal for a Bullpen Ace.”

8 Zolecki, “Phillies Close Deal for a Bullpen Ace.”

9 Paul Hagen, “Mesa Says It’s Nothing Personal, But …,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 6, 2004: 80.

10 Alan Robinson (Associated Press), “Pittsburgh’s Benson Down to Last Chance,” Scranton (Pennsylvania) Tribune, March 24, 2004: B4.

11 Marcus Hayes, “It Was Sloppy, But Phillies Will Take It,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 8, 2004: 104.

12 Hayes, “It Was Sloppy, But Phillies Will Take It.”

13 Hayes, “It Was Sloppy, But Phillies Will Take It.”

14 Wilson had homered against Kevin Millwood on Opening Day. He went on to hit 29 home runs in 2004, a season high for his seven-season career. Doug Street, “Boehringer Unable to Finish the Job,” Washington (Pennsylvania) Observer-Reporter, April 8, 2004.

15 Cormier made 65 appearances for the 2003 Phillies, all in relief. Besides Mesa (61 relief appearances in 2003), Terry Adams (66 relief appearances) and Turk Wendell (56 relief appearances) also left the Phillies as free agents. Carlos Silva (61 relief appearances and 1 start) was traded to the Minnesota Twins in a deal that brought starting pitcher Eric Milton to Philadelphia in December 2003. Dan Plesac (56 relief appearances) retired. Todd Zolecki, “Hardball Heaven: Phillies Paint a Rosy Picture of Their Pitching,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 20, 2004: D1.

16 John Perrotto, “Same Old Bull – Pirates Pen Back in Form, Fails to Protect Lead,” Beaver County (Pennsylvania) Times, April 8, 2004.

17 Paul Hagen, “He’s Ready for Takeoff: Former Airport Worker Makes Debut,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 8, 2004: 102.

18 Perrotto, “Same Old Bull – Pirates Pen Back in Form, Fails to Protect Lead.”

19 Marcus Hayes, “Quite a Setup! Phillies Bolster Bullpen with Reliever Tim Worrell,” Philadelphia Daily News, December 10, 2003: 90.

20 ESPN SportsCenter, “2004 MLB Highlights April 7,” YouTube video (SW5610), 12:04, accessed February 8, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnoWjrEapzc.

21 “Wagner Throws Flames at Pirates,” Philadelphia Daily News, April 8, 2004: 103.

22 The Pirates had traded Giles to the San Diego Padres in August 2003.

23 Hayes, “Wagner Throws Flames at Pirates.”

24 Hayes, “Wagner Throws Flames at Pirates.”

25 Hayes, “Wagner Throws Flames at Pirates.”

26 Hayes, “Wagner Throws Flames at Pirates.”

27 Edward de la Fuente, “Phillies Rally for Win: Wagner Sets Down Bucs for First Save With Team,” Wilmington (Delaware) News Journal, April 8, 2004: C1.

28 Wagner’s 59 saves in 2004 and 2005 ranked 11th among major-league pitchers. The Phillies finished second in the NL East in both seasons, missing the postseason. The Astros were the NL wild card in 2004, eventually losing the NL Championship Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2005 they reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history but were swept by the Chicago White Sox.

29 Todd Zolecki, “Shut the Door: Phils Not Surprised at Pitcher’s Decision,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 29, 2005: D5.

30 The Phillies finished second in the NL East for the third straight season in 2006, but they reached the postseason five seasons in a row from 2007 through 2011, including winning the 2008 World Series. Their closer from 2008 through 2011 was Brad Lidge, who had replaced Wagner as Houston’s closer in 2004.

31 Through the 2024 season, Wagner ranked eighth on baseball’s all-time saves list. The only left-handed pitcher with more saves was John Franco, credited with 424 in his career.