Of the several Wonderdogs who made it to The Show, only Justin Wilson remains.

Wilson, one of the star pitchers for Fresno State’s 2008 College World Series championship team, is in his 13th Major League Baseball season. He is pitching this year for Boston.

He attributes his lengthy career  — the Red Sox are his seventh team — to performance.

“This game will get rid of you in a hurry if you don’t perform,” Wilson said.

Being a left-handed pitcher helps, Wilson said.

Connecting With Other Bulldogs

Wilson was one of five Bulldog players from the 2008 team — dubbed the Wonderdogs because of their unlikely run to the championship — to play MLB. The Big League careers of Tanner Scheppers, Steve Susdorf, Justin Miller and Danny Muno are over.

Wilson pitched eight innings and stuck out nine in winning the championship game over Georgia.

“I was blessed with good teammates, also a good high school leading into Fresno State, a great head coach (Mike Batesole) that demanded a lot and got me ready for pro ball,” Wilson said of his Fresno State days.

The Buchanan High graduate still connects with other current MLB Bulldogs — MVP slugger Aaron Judge of the Yankees, Taylor Ward of the Angels, Austin Wynns of the Athletics, and Dylan Lee of the Braves.

“Me and Judge usually say hello. I played with Wynnsie last year. I’ll see Taylor here next series. But man, we’re all on separate teams and preparing for our own games. So most of the time it’s a simple hello and then we go about our business,” Wilson said.

Praise From Manager, Pitching Coach

Wilson is having an outstanding season out of the Red Sox bullpen. He had appeared in 33 games through June 25, compiling a 2-1 record with a 2.39 earned run average. Most impressively, he has struck out 33 batters in 26 and one-third innings.

“He was on board from the get-go. Just a presence in the bullpen, a presence in the clubhouse, and what he’s doing on the mound, it’s been amazing,” says Red Sox Manager Alex Cora. “He’s always available, but we understand where he’s at right now, and we have to take care of him. But overall, he’s been great. A lot of strikeouts and big situations, up and downs. Without him, we won’t be in this position.”

Pitching Coach Andrew Bailey and Wilson were teammates with the 2015 Yankees. Not only does Wilson retain a great pitching arsenal Bailey recently said on “Extra Innings with Bill Laskey” on KNBR radio, but he is a great teammate.

“For a guy that’s been around so long, what he’s doing on the field is fantastic, but it’s really what he’s doing in and around the clubhouse, the culture of that bullpen, helping guys along, helping them be vocal, communicate, you know, it’s been fantastic,” Bailey said.

“He strikes guys out and you can put him in against lefties, righties, and in the highest leverage situations, and you trust him,” Bailey said.

To view Wilson’s career MLB stats, click here.

Still Visits Home

Wilson realizes that his career may be heading to the finish line.

“We’re probably creeping towards the end here now … a lot of different aches and pains on the daily. We’ll see. I don’t really know,” Wilson said.

No matter what team he is with, Wilson’s friends and family always come to visit when he plays in California. During a recent game at Oracle Park against the San Francisco Giants, Wilson left more than 20 tickets.

Although he no longer lives in Fresno, he is not a stranger.

“We still visit, our family’s still out there. We have a home out there, so yeah, we go back, not as often as I’d like, but we do get to go visit,” Wilson said.