Billy Wagner got here via in his ultimate inning.
In his tenth and final bid on the poll, the previous Mets nearer earned what may as properly have been his 423rd save, clearing the 75 p.c threshold to affix Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia (together with the already-elected Dave Parker and Dick Allen) as entrants into Cooperstown.
Wagner obtained 82.5 p.c of the tally from the Baseball Writers’ Affiliation of America, which allowed an exhale — and loads of tears, as video confirmed — after he missed by simply 5 votes final yr.
Dodgers to finish Sport 2 of the NLDS on Oct. 5, 2006, AP
“I felt just like the clock stopped,” Wagner stated about receiving the telephone name that he waited a decade for.
Wagner wanted a gentle climb to recover from the hump. He started his eligibility with simply 10.5 p.c of the vote in 2016. He began to rise in his fifth yr (31.7 p.c) and had more and more jumped in annually since, reaching 73.8 p.c in 2024.
“It’s not been a straightforward 10 years,” Wagner stated in a digital information convention. “The one factor I assumed I did properly was I didn’t blow a save for 10 years.”
The southpaw will likely be immortalized after a profession that completed with 422 saves (eighth-most ever), a 187 ERA+ that underscored his excellence and 1,196 strikeouts in 903 innings, an 11.9 Ks-per-nine-innings mark that’s the highest for any pitcher who logged 900 innings. His 2.31 profession ERA is the bottom amongst retired southpaws with a minimum of 500 innings pitched since 1920. He held opposing batters to a .187 common and easily was one of the vital tough pitchers to hit ever.
Wagner performed 9 seasons with the Astros — which seemingly would be the hat he’ll put on on his plaque — two with the Phillies and had stints with the Purple Sox and Braves. He loved a few of his finest seasons with the Mets, with whom he pitched to a 2.37 and saved 101 video games (together with his three hundredth).
Steve and Alex Cohen congratulated Wagner, a local of small-town Virginia who acknowledged Queens was an adjustment however one that he’s completely satisfied he made.
“I joined the Mets as a result of I knew that going to New York could be one technique to attempt to get to the Corridor of Fame,” Wagner stated. “And it wasn’t going to be straightforward whenever you acquired the best reliever, nearer [in Mariano Rivera] throughout city. However I additionally knew that the atmosphere of New York, coming from a small city, was going to be tough, and I feel the Wilpons did an excellent job of defending me and my household with understanding what we have been up towards.
“… I actually loved it. I hated to depart.”
Carlos Beltran, Wagner’s teammate from 2006-09 in Queens, fell quick at 70.3 p.c in his third yr of eligibility, however the now-Mets government seems to be a lock for eventual enshrinement.
within the ninth inning on April 21, 2002. AP
Beltran, who spent seven seasons with the Mets and three years with the Yankees, took a leap after receiving 57.1 p.c of the vote final yr. On advantage alone, Beltran belongs following a 20-year profession during which he reached 9 All-Star Video games, gained three Gold Gloves, notched 435 dwelling runs, 1,587 RBIs, an .837 OPS and posted terrific postseason numbers.
However his hyperlink to the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal from 2017 may need postponed his induction by a yr or two (and value him a job managing the Mets). Beltran is now a particular assistant to David Stearns within the Mets entrance workplace.