Great news for Tazewell native and former Ferrum College pitcher Billy Wagner as he cracks the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10th and final year on the ballot. Last year, Wagner was 5 votes away from getting into the hall.
TAZEWELL, Va. (WVVA) - In his final year of eligibility, Billy Wagner has finally made it to Cooperstown. Wagner, a Tazewell high school and Ferrum College alum, has finally etched his name into the MLB history books, being inducted as a member of the 2025 Hall of Fame class. Other member include Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia.
Billy Wagner fell just five votes short of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame last January, making 2025 his 10th and final eligible year on the ballot for enshrinement in Cooperstown. The former Houston Astros closer finally broke through Tuesday night.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame has announced its inductees for the class of 2025. Three players are set to be enshrined in Cooperstown in this year's class: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
Ichiro Suzuki is the first Japanese-born player voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He'll be joined by CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner in the Class of 2025.
Suzuki came in first in terms of voting with 393, making history as the first Japanese-born player elected to the Hall of Fame. He was close to making history again as he was nearly unanimous– and he would have been in some pretty weighty company to share with Yankee legends Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.
Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player chosen for baseball’s Hall of Fame, falling one vote shy of unanimous when he was elected along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
The trio of stars, each of whom spent part of their career in New York, will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 27.
From 1936-2015, no players were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with even 99 percent of the Baseball Writers Association of America's vote. A funny thing
Used to leading off, Ichiro Suzuki got antsy when he had to wait. Considered a no-doubt pick for baseball’s Hall of Fame and possibly the second unanimous selection, he waited by the phone for the expected call Tuesday.
The fact that there has only been one unanimous selection in the history of BBWAA voting renders the distinction almost meaningless.