Shortly after signing with the Atlanta Braves in 2010, Billy Wagner was chatting with new pitching coach Roger McDowell in anticipation of spring training.
“Roger goes, ‘Hey, there’s a kid (that’s) going to be in camp with us,’ ” Wagner recalled by phone yesterday. “ ‘You’re going to think he’s your twin.’ ”
Sure, Wagner thought. After 15 years in the big leagues, he had seen other 5-foot-10 pitchers seemingly defy the laws of physics by throwing upper-90s fastballs. But the longtime closer’s 422 career saves are proof that it’s one thing to look like him, quite another to be as successful.