Wagner reached 400-save mark in final MLB season
Billy Wagner knew 2010 would be his last season, but he wasn’t done chasing records.
On April 30 of that season, the then-38-year-old revealed his intentions to retire at the end of the year. Wagner entered the season 15 saves shy of the 400-career-saves milestone.
“I wanted a chance at 400, and that’s great,” Wagner told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If it happens this year, great, if not, then so be it.”
On June 25, 2010, Wagner reached his goal. The 5-foot-10 left-hander struck out the side to secure the Atlanta Braves’ 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
As Wagner etched his name onto the short list of closers with 400 career saves, Atlanta catcher Brian McCann cherished the historic moment perhaps just as much as his pitcher.
“For me, that was the coolest part of the night,” McCann told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m going to be able to tell my kids I caught Billy Wagner’s 400th save. That’s something I’ll have in the memory bank for the rest of my life.”
Wagner recorded his first save on June 14, 1996, for the Houston Astros in a 9-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. His fifth career outing produced a final stat line of three innings pitched, one hit allowed and four strikeouts.
That appearance foreshadowed the dominance of the rest of his 16-year MLB career.
The 2025 Hall of Fame electee finished his career with 1,196 strikeouts, 422 saves and a lifetime 2.31 ERA. Wagner struck out 33.2 percent of the batters he faced and allowed a measly .187 opponent batting average.
Wagner became the first left-handed reliever to be elected to the Hall of Fame. He secured his Cooperstown spot in his final year on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.
“I just wanted to play,” Wagner told Inside Pitch Magazine in July 2020. “I didn’t just want to be good. I wanted to play the best.”
Noah Douglas is the 2025 communications intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development
