A former Brave is going into Cooperstown.
Closer Billy Wagner, whose final season came in with the Braves, was elected into the Hall of Fame on Tuesday. He appeared on 85.2% of ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Wagner made it in his 10th and final season on the ballot.
In a 16-year career, Wagner had 422 saves and a 2.31 ERA. He pitched for Houston for nine seasons, the Mets for four, the Phillies for two, the Red Sox for one and the Braves for one.
In 2010 with the Braves, the lefty was an All-Star. He posted a 1.43 ERA and amassed 37 saves over 69-1/3 innings.
That season, Wagner posted the lowest ERA of his career and became the fifth pitcher in National League history to appear in at least 70 games while posting an ERA below 1.50.
His 422 saves are the eighth-highest career total in history and the second highest for a left-hander. His 2.31 ERA is the lowest among retired lefties who pitched at least 500 innings in the live-ball era (after 1920).
His 33.2% strikeout rate is the best among relievers who threw at least 900 innings. His 0.998 WHIP is the lowest for a retired reliever with a minimum of 700 innings pitched.
The last former Brave to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was Fred McGriff in 2023.
Ahead of the 2010 season, the Braves signed Wagner to a one-year, $7 million deal.
Almost fifteen years later, he’s a Hall of Famer.
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