Will Wagner, son of SWVA legend Billy Wagner, is 5-for-8 in his first two major league games for the Blue Jays

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Once he finally got tickets for his famous father, Will Wagner had a major league debut to remember.

The son of Tazewell High School graduate and former MLB All-Star reliever Billy Wagner got hits in his first three at-bats to help the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Monday night.

“Growing up in big league locker rooms, I know what to expect,” the younger Wagner said. “It was a stressful day, for sure, but once you get through that first at-bat, everything is fine.”

On Tuesday, things got better with a 6-1 win for the Jays, in which he went 2-for-4, including a two-run double in the first inning off Angels starter Carson Fulmer. Toronto quickly took a three-run lead in the first, including Wagner’s two-run double into the right-field corner. Wagner also had a double in the third inning.

The former star at The Miller School in Charlottesville, Virginia (where his father was his coach) and Liberty University in Lynchburg has five hits in eight at-bats in his first two games, including three doubles and three RBIs.

Toronto acquired the infielder on his 26th birthday in the July 29 trade that sent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros, where Wagner’s elder spent the first nine of his 16 major league seasons.

Will Wagner was recalled Monday from Triple-A Buffalo and started at second base against the Angels, wearing No. 7 and batting sixth. He hit the first pitch he saw into the gap in right-center for a double in the second inning and finished 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Billy Wagner’s MLB debut came on September 13, 1995 for the Houston Astros at Shea Stadium, when he retired the only New York Mets batter he faced (Rico Brogna) in his only major league appearance that year.

“I was nervous in the on-deck circle, but once I was walking up to the plate, I started to gain a little more confidence,” Willy Wagner said. “I just went up there and knew I was there for a reason, and I was trying to be aggressive.”

His only mistake was forgetting to leave money for his fiancée and his father at the beginning.

“My dad texted me and said, ‘Hey, we can’t get in yet,’” Will Wagner said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to get tickets.’ But we already had it all figured out.”

Billy Wagner arrived at the ballpark after a whirlwind trip that took him first to Buffalo last weekend to watch his son play. After flying home to Virginia on Sunday, he learned of Will’s promotion and boarded a plane bound for California.

The seven-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was quick to offer advice for the big day.

“He just told me to relax, be present and have fun with everything,” Will Wagner said. “It’s just a game and to have fun.”

Wagner singled with two outs in a four-run third inning to pick up his first RBI and lined another single to right field in the fifth. All three of his early career hits came off right-hander Davis Daniel.

Wagner became just the fourth player in Blue Jays history to get three hits in his major league debut. He eventually recorded his first out on a fly ball to center in the seventh.

“It’s great when you make your debut like that. It gives the players energy,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.

Wagner is primarily a second baseman, with experience at first and third base. He is known as a line-drive hitter, with 25 home runs in 290 minor league games.

“Everyone, when they talk about him, they say, ‘Well, he’s just a baseball player,’ and those guys usually find a way to do it pretty well,” Schneider said. “A lot of contact, he hits the ball hard, he makes very smart decisions during the game.”

Schneider plans to use Wagner primarily at second base, with some opportunities to play third, and have him in the lineup regularly for the rest of the season.

To make room on the roster, the last-place Blue Jays optioned infielder Luis De Los Santos to Buffalo.

The move came after Wagner played just seven games in Buffalo following the trade from Houston. In 77 combined games at Triple-A for Sugar Land and Buffalo, he hit .315 with six homers and 43 RBIs. He was an 18th-round pick of the Astros in 2021 out of Liberty.

“When I was in Houston, in major league spring training, we had (Alex) Bregman, (Jeremy) Pena and (Jose) Altuve and I was talking to them every day,” Will Wagner said. “And I was like, ‘These guys are going to be Hall of Famers.’ Now I’m here and I have (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) and Bo (Bichette) to talk to, too. And there’s a mix of guys that are younger that I can fit in with, too. So I’m excited.”