Will Wagner had hits in his first three at-bats of his major league debut as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Monday night.
The son of former Houston Astros seven-time All-Star and Hall of Fame left-hander Billy Wagner, the young Wagner hit the first pitch he saw to right-center field for a double in the second inning.
“I was nervous in the on-deck circle, but once I was walking up to the plate, I started to gain a little more confidence,” Wagner said. “I just went up there and knew I was there for a reason and I was trying to be aggressive.”
Wagner then singled with two outs in the third for his first RBI and a 2-0 lead.
In his third at-bat, Wagner singled to right field in the fifth. All three of his career hits came off right-hander Davis Daniel, who allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
“Growing up in major league locker rooms, I know what to expect,” Wagner said. “It was a stressful day, for sure, but once you get through that first at-bat, it's all good.”
Wagner became just the fourth player in Blue Jays history to get three hits in his major league debut. He eventually recorded his first out on a fly ball to center in the seventh.
“It's great when you make your debut like that,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It gives guys energy.”
Billy Wagner was on the whirlwind adventure that first took him to Triple-A Buffalo over the weekend to watch his son play. After flying home to Virginia on Sunday, he learned of his son's promotion and boarded a plane bound for California.
The only setback Will Wagner had that day was forgetting to leave tickets for his fiancée and his father.
“My dad texted me and said, 'Hey, we can't get in yet,'” Will Wagner said. “I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have to get tickets.' But we already had it all figured out.”
The Blue Jays acquired the younger Wagner in the July 29 trade that sent left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to the Astros, where his father spent nine seasons. He was promoted to the Blue Jays from Triple-A Buffalo, while infielder Luis De Los Santos was optioned.
“When I was in Houston, in the Major League camp, we had [Alex] Bregman, [Jeremy] Rock and [Jose] “Altuve and I talked to them every day,” Will Wagner said before the game. “And I was like, 'These guys are going to be Hall of Famers.' Now I'm here and I have [Vladimir Guerrero Jr.] and Bo [Bichette] “I've got people to talk to as well. And there's a mix of younger guys I can fit in with as well. So I'm excited.”
Wagner is primarily a second baseman with experience at first and third base. On offense, he is known as a line drive hitter with 25 home runs in 290 minor league games.
Schneider plans to use Wagner primarily at second base, with some opportunities to play third, and have him in the lineup regularly for the rest of the season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
