Billy Wagner, one of the best and most reliable relievers of his era, moved within a few percentage points of the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday when Joe Mauer, Adrián Beltré and Todd Helton were elected.
Wagner received 73.8% of the vote. Players need 75% of the vote to be elected to the Hall of Fame. According to CBS Sports, Wagner was five votes short of reaching the threshold.
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Billy Wagner, number 15 of the New York Mets, stands in the dugout before the 79th MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on July 15, 2008. (Rich Pilling/MLB via Getty Images)
Mauer and Beltré entered the Hall of Fame in their first year on the ballot. Helton was in sixth. Wagner was in his ninth year on the ballot, meaning he only has one year left to make it to Cooperstown via the Baseball Writers Association of America vote.
Wagner told MLB.com it was “super disappointing” that he missed this time.
“You can't hide it. It's frustrating, but on the other hand, I thank God that I had the opportunity to be on that ballot, and I'm very happy for the guys that did get in,” he said. “They deserve it.”
The baseball world was also upset that Wagner didn't make the Hall of Fame this time.
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Houston Astros' Billy Wagner raises his fist as he celebrates his 39th save of the season while helping the Astros defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in St. Louis. (COTT ROVAK/AFP via Getty Images)
Former MLB pitcher CJ Nitkowski was one of them. He wrote in
He was also bothered that some writers only included Manny Ramírez and Alex Rodríguez on their ballots.
Ben Verlander called it “crazy” that Wagner isn't in the Hall of Fame yet.
Wagner was a seven-time All-Star during his 16-year career. He played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves before retiring. He was an All-Star in his final season in 2010.
Former Houston Astros pitcher Billy Wagner during the Houston Astros Hall of Fame Weekend at Minute Maid Park on August 12, 2023 in Houston. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)
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He finished his career with a 2.31 ERA, 422 saves and batters on both sides of the plate hitting under .190 when faced. He's likely to enter next year, when players like Ichiro Suzuki appear on the ballot for the first time.
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