Former Liberty Flames infielder Will Wagner made his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Wagner, who was added to the Blue Jay’s roster earlier in the day, made his debut in his jersey No. 7 while starting at second base at Angel Stadium. He hit sixth in the order and would lead off the second inning.
In his first at-bat, the left hander swung at the very first pitch he saw and drilled the ball into right center for a double. Quite a debut.
In Wagner’s second at-bat, he had a runner at second with two outs. After falling behind in the count, he sent a pitch up the middle for an RBI single to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.
His third at bat came with two outs and a runner at first in the fifth inning. He would extend his hit streak to 3 consecutive plate appearances as he slapped a ball into right field.
The son of former left-handed pitcher Billy Wagner, a seven-time All-Star and a member of the Houston Astros Hall of Fame, the younger Wagner became the fourth player in Blue Jays’ history to record three hits in his first game in the show, and he got to do it all with his dad in attendance. He finally made his first out on a fly to center in the 7th.
The Blue Jays acquired Wagner in a July 29 trade and was called up to the Blue Jays from Triple-A Buffalo.
Wagner was selected during the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He was a two-time first-team All-ASUN performer while at Liberty. He hit .333 with a team leading 52 RBI and 32 runs scored in 2021. In 53 games, all starts, he had 70 hits, including 16 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs. He posted a .399 on base percentage and a .538 slugging percentage.
Wagner becomes the eighth former Liberty Flame to reach the majors and the second to do so this summer. Reliever Fraser Ellard debuted with the Chicago White Sox a couple of weeks ago.
Ellard played one season at Liberty in 2021, helping the Flames post a 41-16 record and receive an at-large selection to the NCAA Regional. He was named to the 2021 ASUN All-Conference first team after posting a 0-1 record with 7 sevens and a 3.65 ERA in 26 appearances. In 3 appearances for the White Sox, Ellard has tossed 1.2 innings while allowing two runs on three walks with two strikeouts.
The duo joins former Flames Ryan Cordell (2018-20), Ian Parmley (2017), Doug Brady (1995), Randy Tomlin (1986-88), Sid Bream (1979-81), and Lee Guetterman (1978-81) in reaching the majors.
