Mar 4, 2005; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Billy Wagner (13) in action during spring training against the Detroit Tigers at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium. Credit: Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY NETWORK..
Billy Wagner is heading to Cooperstown.
In his tenth and final year on the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) ballot, Wagner finally cracked the 75% vote threshold for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He garnered votes on 82.5% of BBWAA ballots.
One of the most dominant closers of all time, Billy Wagner was a master of his craft.
🖊️ @jonmorosi
🎙️ Craig Biggio pic.twitter.com/qdxJBDvIda
Wagner came tantalizingly close to induction in 2024, with votes on 73.8% of ballots. Just five additional votes among the hundreds of ballots returned would have sent him across the threshold.
That disappointment set up an agonizing wait for this year's results. The longtime closer is no stranger to tense moments on the field, but a referendum on his entire 16-year big league career is something else.
"I think it’s more hectic and nerve-wracking this year because this is it," Wagner told MLB.com on Tuesday, prior to receiving the good news. "It looks good right now, but you never know," he said.
Billy Wagner #HOF balloting percentage by year:
9th - 73.8
8th - 68.1
7th - 51.0
6th - 46.4
5th - 31.7
4th - 16.7
3rd - 11.1
2nd - 10.2
1st - 10.5
David Wright started at 6.2 in debut, so be interesting to see if he picks up momentum. Wagner shows a 10-yr rally is possible.
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) January 21, 2025
In retrospect, it's surprising that Wagner didn't make it to Cooperstown earlier. The lefty earned 422 career saves, more than all but seven players in MLB history. Among pitchers with at least 900 innings pitched since 1900, Wagner has the second-lowest ERA (2.31), the best batting average against (.187), and the highest strikeouts per nine innings rate (11.92).
All-time MLB relief pitcher ranks (min 900 IP):
ERA+
1) Mariano Rivera (205)
2) Billy Wagner (187)
FIP
1) Wagner (2.73)
2) Rivera (2.76)
WHIP
1) Wagner (0.998)
2) Rivera (1.000)
K/BB
1) Rivera (4.10)
2) Wagner (3.99)
K%
1) Wagner (33.2)
2) Francisco RodrĂguez (28.5)
The Houston Astros drafted Wagner out of Ferrum College in Virginia with the 12th overall pick in the 1993 draft. He played nine seasons with the Astros, two with the Phillies (2004-2005), then three-plus years for the Mets before a mid-season trade to the Red Sox. He finished his career with an All-Star season for the Braves. That All-Star selection was Wagner's seventh, and he finished top-six in Cy Young voting twice.
Thanks Skip! https://t.co/IT9d0FNAdK
Wagner did not have a good relationship with Phillies fans during his time with the club. "At that point in my career, I was just a turd," the pitcher said in 2013. "[Later] I was able to sit there and look back and go 'God, man I could have handled that so much better.' . . . That whole situation, coming from Houston, I definitely didn't have thick skin."
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