Arr! Billy Wagner be naught inducted into thar Baseball Hall of Fame by a hair's breadth! Aargh, the pain!
2024-01-24
Arr, me hearties! Billy Wagner, a swashbucklin' buccaneer of the mound, a true treasure among pitchers, be denied entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame, bein' a mere handful o' votes shy. Aye, a sad tale indeed!
Mauer and Beltre made it in their first year on the ballot, while Helton was in his sixth. Wagner, however, was in his ninth year on the ballot and now has only one more chance to make it to Cooperstown through the voting of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Wagner expressed his disappointment at missing out, but also acknowledged the deserving players who were elected. The baseball world shared in his frustration, with former pitcher C.J. Nitkowski remarking on the injustice of Wagner falling just five votes short after a career that included the most strikeouts by a left-handed reliever.
Some writers caused further upset by only including Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez on their ballots. The absence of Wagner from the Hall of Fame was described as "crazy" by Ben Verlander.
During his career, Wagner was a seven-time All-Star and played for various teams including the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves. He had an impressive 2.31 ERA and 422 saves, with batters hitting under .190 when facing him.
Next year, Wagner is expected to have a better chance of being elected, particularly with players like Ichiro Suzuki appearing on the ballot for the first time.
So, while Wagner may have missed out this time, there is hope for his future inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame.