Paul Alan Wagner (born November 14, 1967) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB)

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

, who played for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

(1992–1997),

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

(1997–1998), and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1999).

Amateur career

Wagner attended

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most ...

. In 1987 he led the team with an ERA of 2.40, and was named to the All-MVC second team. Wagner is the most recent Illinois State pitcher to throw a no-hitter, which he accomplished in a 9–0 victory over

Chicago State Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...

in 1987. In 1989, he led the team in wins with 8, and broke the school record for most games started in a single season with 16 (a record which would stand until 2010.) Wagner was named to the All-MVC first team for 1989.

Professional career

Wagner was drafted from

by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 12th round of the

1989 Major League Baseball draft First-round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft on June 5. Supplemental first round selections Other notable players * Brian Hunter, 2nd round, 35th overall by the Houston Astros * Ti ...

. On August 29, 1995, while with the Pirates, Wagner had a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

broken up against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

with two out in the ninth on an

Andrés Galarraga Andrés José Padovani Galarraga (; born June 18, 1961) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos (– and ), St. Louis Cardinals (), Colorado Rockies (–), At ...

single. It was the only hit Wagner would allow in defeating the Rockies 4–0. The no-hitter would have been the first by a Pirate since

John Candelaria John Robert Candelaria (born November 6, 1953) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. Nicknamed "The Candy Man", he played in MLB during the years 1975–1993 for eight teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Mets, New Y ...

in 1976. Wagner finished his 8-year career with a 4.83 ERA. He pitched in 598.2 innings, allowing 640 hits and 321 earned runs. In 160 appearances including 84 starts, Wagner handled 137 total chances (50 putouts, 87 assists) without an error for a perfect 1.000

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. On August 10, 2021, Wagner was announced as the pitching coach for the

Lake Country DockHounds The Lake Country DockHounds are a professional baseball team based in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The DockHounds played their first ...

, for their inaugural season in the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. Wagner lives in

Neosho, Wisconsin Neosho is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 574 at the 2010 census. Geography Neosho is located at (43.310165, -88.517933). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , o ...

.Paul Wagner Address
Retrieved 2018-09-22.

References

External links

1967 births Pittsburgh Pirates players Milwaukee Brewers players Cleveland Indians players Living people Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Louisville Bats players People from Neosho, Wisconsin Baseball players from Milwaukee Illinois State Redbirds baseball players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub