In his 10th and final year on the ballot, former Astros closer Billy Wagner earned is place in Cooperstown, N.Y. in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

On January 21, 2025, all-time great closer Billy Wagner was elected to the Hall of Fame. A version of this story originally ran in December 2020.

HOUSTON - Former Houston Astros pitcher Billy Wagner is headed to Cooperstown. Wagner was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Wagner will be officially inducted, along with Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, in Cooperstown, New York on Sunday, July 27.

Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner were elected as the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the museum announced.

After 10 attempts, former Astros closer Billy Wagner finally reached the Hall of Fame, joining Ichiro and CC Sabathia in the class of 2025.

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.

Billy Wagner may have been an Astro and a Phillie at least as much as he was a Met, but that doesn’t erase the fact that he was, indeed, a Met. Wagner was an important one, too, spending three-plus ye

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.

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.

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.

Wagner was elected in his 10th and final year on the ballot with 82.5% of the vote. Chase Utley climbed to 39.8% in his second year.