Former Met Billy Wagner elected to MLB Hall of Fame in final year on ballot

In his 10th and final year on the ballot, former Mets closer Billy Wagner finally garnered enough votes to take his rightful place in Cooperstown in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Along with Wagner, Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia were elected.

Wagner got tantalizingly close last year when he earned 73.8 percent of the needed 75 percent of the vote. This time, he got over the hump appearing on 82.5 percent ballots (325 of 394 ballots).

One of the most dominant relievers in baseball history, Wagner pitched for the Mets from 2006 to 2009 during a career that also included stints with the Houston Astros (1995 to 2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2004 to 2005), Boston Red Sox (2009), and Atlanta Braves (2010).

A seven-time All-Star who twice finished in the top 10 of Cy Young voting, Wagner had a 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while striking out 1,196 batters in 903.0 innings over 853 appearances during his 16-year career.

Along the way, Wagner earned 422 saves — the eighth-most in MLB history.

Wagner was electric during his Mets tenure, with a 2.37 ERA and 1.05 WHIP to go along with 230 strikeouts in 189.2 innings over 183 appearances.

Speaking with SNY at Mets Old Timer’s Day in 2022, Wagner reflected on his favorite Mets moments.

“There’s so many great moments,” Wagner said. “I got my 300th save here, I think that was on Fourth of July. And then I think making the playoffs in ’06 and the energy that brought. Watching of course Endy’s (catch in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS).

“And also it’s just being around the teammates. Watching Tom Glavine get his 300th win, Pedro [Martinez] getting his 200th win. I think being around those guys was tremendous. That was a lot of fun.”

One of the things that made Wagner so special was his ability to miss bats as he unleashed his triple-digit fastball and vicious slider.

His career strikeout rate of 11.9 per nine was better than Mariano Rivera (8.2 per nine) and Trevor Hoffman (9.4 per nine), the two other mostly one-inning closers who are in the Hall of Fame.

In addition to Wagner, Rivera, and Hoffman, the other relievers in the Hall of Fame are Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Lee Smith, Bruce Suter, and Hoyt Wilhelm.

CARLOS BELTRAN GETTING CLOSER

After getting 57.1 percent of the vote in 2024, Beltran took a big leap this year appearing on 70.3 percent of ballots (277 votes out of 394) and could be poised for election in 2026, which will be his fourth year on the ballot.

It can be argued that Beltran should have been a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but he has seemingly been paying for his role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal.

The former Mets center fielder and current member of the Mets front office, Beltran hit .279/.350/.486 with 435 home runs, 565 doubles, 78 triples, 312 stolen bases, 1,587 RBI, and 1,582 runs scored during his 20-year MLB career.

Beyond his offensive prowess, Beltran — a nine-time All-Star — was one of the best defensive center fielders in the game during his peak, with three Gold Gloves (won with the Mets in 2005, 2006, and 2007) to show for it.

In addition to his Mets stint (2005 to 2011), Beltran played for the Kansas City Royals (1998 to 2004), Houston Astros (2004, 2017), San Francisco Giants (2011), St. Louis Cardinals (2012 to 2013), Yankees (2014 to 2016), and Texas Rangers (2016).