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

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

coach and former

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is currently the

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

for the Lake Country DockHounds of 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 ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

(1992–1997),

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

(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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

(1999).

Amateur career

Wagner attended

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

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

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

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

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 (–), ...

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 Puerto Rican-American former 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, ...

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 baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...

. On August 10, 2021, Wagner was announced as the pitching coach for the Lake Country DockHounds, for their inaugural season in the

. Wagner lives in

Neosho, Wisconsin Neosho is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 591 at the 2020 census. Geography Neosho is located at (43.310165, -88.517933). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , ...

.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 Augusta Pirates players Beloit Snappers players Carolina Mudcats players Gulf Coast Pirates players Norfolk Tides players Richmond Braves players Salem Buccaneers players Welland Pirates players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub