ASTROS NEWS
Astros will retire Billy Wagner's No. 13 in honor of his induction into Hall of Fame
Feb 5, 2025, 11:52 am
Billly Wagner's number will be retired. Photo by Jed Jacobson/Getty Images.
Houston Astros all-time saves leader Billy Wagner will have his jersey number retired, an honor that coincides with his induction into the Hall of Fame, the team announced Tuesday.
Wagner's No. 13 will be the 10th number retired by the Astros during a ceremony Aug. 16. He'll be inducted July 27 in Cooperstown with Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Dave Parker and Dick Allen.
Wagner, a three-time All-Star, saved 225 games for the Astros from 1995-2003. The hard-throwing lefty finished fourth in 1999 NL Cy Young Award voting after recording 39 saves in 42 opportunities and recording a 1.57 ERA with 124 strikeouts and 35 hits allowed in 74 2/3 innings. Opponents batted just .135 against him that year.
Wagner was traded to Philadelphia in 2003, and he went on to save 197 games for the Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves before he retired in 2010.
Christian Walker, who signed with the Astros in December and had planned to wear No. 13, will switch to No. 8.
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Christian Walker homered in a three-run second, Ryan Gusto pitched well into the sixth and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Wednesday night to sweep the three-game series.
CHRISTIAN SKYWALKER. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/EZxbda3HT3
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 24, 2025
Walker led off the second with a home run to left off Bowden Francis (2-3), Yainer Diaz tripled and scored on Zach Dezenzo's RBI single and Yordan Alvarez capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly.
Gusto (3-1) allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Gusto has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his three starts this season.
Bryan King pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Bryan Abreu threw a scoreless eighth.
George Springer walked, and Ernie Clement doubled with one out in the ninth, but Josh Hader struck out Alejandro Kirk and induced a flyout by Myles Straw for his seventh save.
Houston has won five of its last six.
Springer hit an RBI double in the fourth for the Blue Jays. They have lost five straight games.
Francis surrendered three runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He has allowed three runs or fewer in four of his five starts.
Key moment
Hader striking out Kirk and getting Straw to flyout to center to end it.
Key stat
The Astros swept the Blue Jays for the first time since they swept a four-game series in Houston on May 14-17, 2015.
Final Thoughts
Julia Morales caught up with Walker after the game.
#Astros beat the Blue Jays 3-1
Christian Walker 2-4, HR & spoke with @JuliaMorales after the @astros WIN#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/MyRYdVwidH
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) April 24, 2025
Up next
Houston starts a three-game series Friday at Kansas City, with RHP Hayden Wesneski (1-1, 3.91 ERA) starting the opener. Toronto RHP José Berríos (1-1, 5.02) starts Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at the Yankees.
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