Billy Wagner came thisclose to reaching the necessary 75 percent of the votes for induction into the Hall of Fame last year.
But he came up just short.
It was unfortunate because Wagner deserved to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
The hard-throwing left-handed relief pitcher is only one of seven pitchers in history to record double-digit seasons of 25 or more saves. In addition, Wagner is one of six pitchers to accumulate more than 1,000 strikeouts in less than 1,000 innings.
The seven-time All-Star was stellar for so long with the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies.
Wagner compiled 422 saves in a 16-year career which also included stops with the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.
Wagner ranks sixth all-time in saves behind Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601), Lee Smith (478), Francisco Rodriguez (437) and John Franco (424). Wagner earned 225 saves in nine seasons with the Astros and 59 saves in two seasons with the Phillies.
Through the years, Wagner wasn’t always the most affable player on or off the field. He would give interviews and often say outlandish things.
But when it came time to close out a game, he was scintillating. Hitters feared him.
That's one of the reasons why so many others already inducted have come out in support of the dominant lefty. Players know who can play and who can't.
Wagner performed at such a high level for so long that he deserves to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
No question about it.
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