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Oddly enough, we could have used him five years ago.
Mets' Wagner Says He Couldn't Play in New York Five Years Ago
Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Mets closer Billy Wagner said he wouldn't have been able to handle playing in New York, the nation's No. 1 media market, earlier in his career.
Wagner, a three-time All-Star, said he knew the immense expectations and pressure that would accompany his signing a contract with the Mets last November that could pay him as much as $50 million.
``I know when you get paid a lot of money and you're playing in New York, you're expected to be perfect,'' the 35- year-old left-hander said in an interview on Bloomberg radio's ``On the Ball,'' to be aired this weekend. ``I think five years ago, there would be no chance I could have played in New York.''
Wagner, whose fastball reaches 100 miles per hour, has been an integral part of a Mets team that has compiled the best record in the National League (64-43) and biggest lead in any of Major League Baseball's six divisions (12 games).
Three days ago, Wagner surrendered two ninth-inning runs, blew a save, and took the loss in a game against the Florida Marlins. The next night he gave up a hit and struck out three for the save.
``Pressure for a closer is there every night because he has only one opportunity to get this thing right,'' said Wagner, who moved his family from his native Virginia to the New York area.
Rehashed Failure
Wagner said he understands that anything less than perfection will be rehashed on New York's sports radio talk- shows and in tabloid newspaper headlines.
``I know the difference between struggling and having someone tell me I'm struggling,'' Wagner said. ``You go out there and give up a hit, that's not struggling. You continuously give up hits, you're struggling.''
Wagner is 3-2 this season with a 2.50 earned run average with 23 saves in 28 opportunities. He's sixth among active players with 307 saves he compiled over his career with the Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros.
With the Mets two months away from potentially making their first postseason appearance since reaching the World Series in 2000, Wagner -- who last pitched in the playoffs for the Astros in 2001 -- is aware that a failure in mid-October matters more than a blown save during the regular season.
Making matters more difficult for Wagner are comparisons with the other closer in town, the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, who has 34 career postseason saves, nine of them in the World Series, and is considered one of the best in history.
``Real pressure comes in the playoffs,'' Wagner said. ``The guy next door is one of the greatest closers ever, so every time you step on that field you're being compared.''
To contact the reporters on this story:
Dan Bollerman in New York at dbollerman@bloomberg.net
Jerry Azar in New York at zarstar@bloomberg.net
Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net
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