New Astros Hall of Famer Billy Wagner Celebrated by Greg Swindell

Greg Swindell, who use to be with the Houston Astros, pointed out his unique connection to the franchise’s newest member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Oct 5, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Former Astros' Billy Wagner throws out the first pitch prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Astros in game two of the 2019 ALDS playoff baseball series at Minute Maid Park. | Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros will have a newly minted member of the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday after reliever Billy Wagner is inducted into Cooperstown.

The celebration goes on all weekend in New York, where the Hall is located, and in Houston, where the Astros are wearing late 1990s and early 2000s era hats in Wagner’s honor, with the Baseball Hall of Fame logo on the side.

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He joins former teammates like Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio in the Hall.

It’s not clear if another former Astros star, Greg Swindell, will be there. But, he posted to X (formerly Twitter) his congratulations to Wagner and pointed out their unique connection.

“Best move the Astros ever made was releasing me. The kid they brought up is being inducted in Cooperstown this weekend. Congrats @BillyWagner1313 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻”

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Wagner, a former first-round pick, was promoted briefly when rosters expanded at the end of the 1995 season and recorded one out. Back then, minor leaguers like Wagner could be added when rosters expanded and it didn’t require teams to make a move on the 25-man roster.

Best move the Astros ever made was releasing me. The kid they brought up is being inducted in Cooperstown this weekend. Congrats @BillyWagner1313 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

— greg swindell (@GregSwindell) July 25, 2025

The following season, the Astros were ready to bring Wagner back for good. On June 2, the Astros selected his contract to put him on the 40-man and 25-man rosters. To do that, the Astros had to make a move.

The move? Houston released Swindell, the former University of Texas star who came home to pitch for one of the state’s two Major League teams.

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Wagner went on to become of the game’s best relievers. He’s already in the Astros Hall of Fame and spent the first nine years of his career with the Astros.

With Houston, he had 225 and went 26-29, earning three All-Star Game berths and the 1999 Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award. That season he had 39 saves, went 4-1 and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting.

Among left-handed relievers, Wagner’s 422 career saves is second-highest and he is sixth all-time among all closers. His career 2.31 ERA is the lowest among retired left-handed pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched. His 14.95 single-season-strikeout-per-nine innings was the highest among relievers at the time of his retirement.

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Wagner also played for Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta and the New York Mets and was a seven-time All-Star.

As for Swindell, the former first-round pick of Cleveland in 1986, bounced around to six different teams and went 123-122 with a. 3.86 ERA. He did claim a World Series ring with Arizona in 2001 and made the 1989 All-Star team.  

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