A Way Out: Faith, Hope and Love of the Game

by Billy Wagner

You will never amount to anything. ... You are not good enough. ... Those stinging words stuck with Billy Wagner as a young boy growing up in Virginia. But he refused to let those words define his existence, resulting in one of the greatest relief pitchers in Major League Baseball history.

While Wagner may have achieved the pinnacle of the American dream, his story began more like a nightmare. Bouncing around from home to home, wondering if there would be food on the table when he got home each evening -- things kids should not have to experience. Despite the naysayers and the odds stacked against him, Wagner channeled all his pent up anger toward his arm and developed into a fireball pitcher.

Relying on the simple faith planted in his life as a twelve-year-old boy, Wagner s story chronicles how he survived some of the most gut-wrenching trials on and off the field, like the line drive that nearly killed him or the shocking murder of his beloved in-laws.

Through every challenge and turn, his faith has been his guiding light, proving over and over again that everything in life happens for a reason.

This is the story of a transformed man, a man whose job was to put out fires in the most tense moments in a game on the field, yet relied upon his faith in God to get him through the fiery trials of life off the field.

Genres: Baseball

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2013

Reviews

[Tucker Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A kid from the sticks” to “baseball’s biggest stage”

Billy Wagner spent the vast majority of his big league career pitching for the Astros, Phillies and Mets – so, being a Braves fan, it wasn’t until Wagner’s final season that I had the opportunity to pull for him. I already knew Wagner was a great pitcher, but it wasn’t until he joined Atlanta’s staff in 2010 that I began to learn bits and pieces about his remarkable personal story outside the game of baseball.

He’s literally “a kid from the sticks” who grew up dirt poor, struggled to prove himself to teachers who didn’t believe in him and said he’d amount to nothing, and overcame tremendous struggles in his home life to emerge as one of the greatest relief pitchers in baseball history. It’s a remarkable story.

A WAY OUT tells Wagner’s story from beginning to end with brutal honesty about his shortcomings, struggles, and failures … and how each and every disappointment was ultimately a building block that led to his success. Wagner seeks to inspire and encourage anyone who is looking for their own “way out” of the difficult times that sooner or later will all come our way.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy Christian non-fiction and uplifting personal stories. I’d also suggest that A WAY OUT is a baseball book you’d want your teen to read.

If you’re reading this strictly as a sports book then you’ll find it’s less hard-hitting and graphic (read, the language is clean) than a lot of books in the genre – for example, the recent memoir DOC by Dwight Gooden – but it touches on many of the same themes (redemption, resilience) only in a vastly different writing style.

[Paul Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gained a lot of respect for Billy Wagner when he joined the Braves at the very end of his career, I thought he'd be terrible, he was great, mentored Kimbrel, and then retired... even with something left in the tank. I respect him even more after reading just a simple, genuine, retelling of a rough upbringing in rural Virginia, some good and bad times in the bigs, and now having retired to the farm. Solid, honest read.

So no, your life won't be changed by reading this one, but you'll be reminded that some baseball players are NOT like A-Rod, which is worth something.