It will be a busy summer for former left-handed closer Billy Wagner, who will have his No. 13 retired by the Houston Astros before an Aug. 16 home game.
The news comes two weeks after Wagner, 53, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame during his final year on the ballot, an emotional announcement that brought the seven-time All-Star to tears.
“The game has given me so much, you know?” Wagner said on MLB Network after his selection late last month. “It’s given me everything that I could possibly ask. So, I mean, I’m very grateful.”
Wagner, whose 422 saves are eighth-most all-time, opened his career by spending his first nine seasons with the Astros before splitting his final eight years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.
The 5-foot-10, hard-throwing southpaw posted a 2.31 ERA while averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, each of which are tops among pitchers who have thrown at least 900 innings.
In addition to Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, the Astros previously retired nine numbers: No. 32 Jim Umbricht, No. 40 Don Wilson, No. 25 Jose Cruz, No. 33 Mike Scott, No. 34 Nolan Ryan, No. 49 Larry Dierker, No. 24 Jimmy Wynn, No. 5 Jeff Bagwell and No. 7 Craig Biggio.
