Ex-Mets Closer Billy Wagner Inducted Into Baseball Hall of Fame

The Mets have a new inductee into Cooperstown, although two others fell short.

May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets logo on the sleeve of J.D. Martinez during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The New York Mets were well-represented on the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, but only one ended up getting the call to Cooperstown.

On Tuesday, it was announced that former Mets closer Billy Wagner earned induction by gathering 82.5% of votes, surpassing the 75% threshold needed to be elected. It was Wagner's 10th and final year on the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) ballot; he will join first-ballot inductees Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, along with Classic Baseball Era Committee selections Dick Allen and Dave Parker.

Billy Wagner is headed to the HALL! pic.twitter.com/oRPGYMZvE6

— New York Mets (@Mets) January 21, 2025

Wagner, 53, is best remembered for the nine seasons he spent with the Houston Astros, but the flame-throwing southpaw also spent just over three seasons in Queens. He signed a four-year, $43 million contract to become the Mets' new closer after the 2005 season; Wagner would accumulate 101 of his 422 career saves donning orange and blue, tallying seasons of 40, 34, and 27 saves from 2006 to 2008.

Although Wagner's time with the Mets was somewhat uneven, especially marked by a poor postseason in 2006, he still logged a 2.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 2.87 FIP along with 230 strikeouts in 189.2 innings. His last appearance with New York came on August 20, 2009, when he pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts before being claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox the next day.

In addition to Wagner, former Mets Carlos Beltran and David Wright were also on the ballot, as were Bobby Abreu and Curtis Granderson. Although Wright received a meager 8.1% of votes in his second year, this was still an improvement over the 6.2% he got in 2024 and is enough to maintain a spot on next year's ballot. As for Beltran, he finished just short of induction by gathering 70.3% of the vote, appearing on 277 of 394 ballots in his third year of eligibility; Beltran's upward trend in votes over the last two years should make him a favorite for induction in 2026.