Billy Wagner has had a year to think about his proximity to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In his penultimate year on the ballot in 2024, the seven-time All-Star closer finished five votes shy of being enshrined. During a trip to Citi Field last July, Wagner admitted he would be lying if he said he didn’t practice what he might say in a speech on the special day if it came to pass.
The left-hander, who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball, including parts of four with the Mets, chose to take a hopeful perspective in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
“Blessed. I’m on there 10 times. Not everybody gets that opportunity,” Wagner said on July 9. “I’m blessed to be there. A lot of great names that go on there every year and come off. I’m happy to still be on there and have a shot.”
Now, after the Hall of Fame votes were revealed on Tuesday night, Wagner can count himself in ultimate company. Wagner became the ninth relief pitcher and first lefty reliever to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He received 82.5 percent of the vote. He celebrated the moment with family and friends, saying it felt like the clock stopped when the announcement was made.
It was an emotional moment for Wagner, who has used his time coaching baseball at the Miller School in Charlottesville, Virginia; travel baseball and helping his alma mater Ferrum College, to keep from overwhelming himself with the looming finality of his final year on the ballot.
“My family has been huge for me my whole life so this day is really a celebration for all of us that got through this process,” Wagner said on a Zoom call on Tuesday. “Now I can finally eat a little bit today and enjoy the itineraries for the next couple of days.”
Wagner’s candidacy had been trending in the right direction since he first appeared on the ballot in 2016 and received 10.5 percent in his first year. After a one-year tick downward, Wagner has been on the rise ever since, notching 31.7 percent in 2022 and eclipsing half the vote at 51 percent in 2022. Last season, he received 284 of the 289 necessary votes for enshrinement.
“Congratulations to Billy Wagner on baseball’s highest honor. He was a two-time All-Star during his four seasons in Queens and earned his 300th career save in a Mets uniform,” Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “Billy was one of the game’s [dominant] closers and will now be forever enshrined in the Hall of Fame.”
Billy Wagner career stats
In his 16-year career, Wagner worked his way into the discussion as one of the top relievers in baseball history. With a penchant for overpowering hitters, Wagner finished his career with 1,196 strikeouts over 903 innings — a wicked 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, the best mark of any pitcher in history with at least 900 innings. He struck out 33.2 percent of the batters he faced.
With 422 saves, Wagner is also only the eighth closer to eclipse the 400-save plateau, and his 2.31 ERA is the second-lowest for a player with at least 900 innings thrown behind only Mariano Rivera. He had nine seasons with at least 30 saves, including with four teams (Astros, Phillies, Mets and Braves).
At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Wagner was not the prototypical hard-thrower. He wore his heart on his sleeve and proved to be one of the most consistent swing-and-miss guys to anchor the ninth inning.
“At the end of the game, that ninth inning, you’re the last guy,” Wagner said. “You’re getting three outs. There’s no net behind you. There’s nobody coming in behind you. Anybody can do it, but not everybody can do it consistently.”
Billy Wagner’s baseball journey
Wagner was drafted out of Ferrum by the Astros with the 12th overall pick in the 1993 MLB Draft and made his major league debut in 1995. In 1999 with the Astros, the lefty finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting and 16th in MVP voting with 39 saves, 124 strikeouts and a 1.57 ERA in 74⅔ innings. That was his first All-Star season, and he would earn two more as a member of the Astros.
In his first season with the Mets in 2006, Wagner notched 40 saves — four off his career-high set with the Astros in 2003 — with 94 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA in 72⅓ innings as they reached the National League Championship Series. That season he finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting. He was then an All-Star in the next two seasons in New York.
“The environment and the level of consistency and understanding that the fans really expected day in and day out was something that I enjoyed because I expected that from myself anyway,” Wagner said of his time in New York.
“I love New New York. I enjoyed it. It was a special place to me and my family. We always enjoy being back.”
Despite elite regular season numbers, Wagner’s candidacy took some shots with some struggles in the postseason. He appeared in 14 postseason games, tallying four saves, but despite seven scoreless outings, he allowed 13 earned runs in seven other appearances.
