Ex-Red Sox Hurler Narrowly Missed Out On Hall Of Fame; Could Next Year Be His Year?

One former member of the Boston Red Sox almost was enshrined in baseball royalty Tuesday night.

Former Red Sox reliever Billy Wagner was in his ninth year of eligibility for selection into the National Baseball Hall of Fame but missed out on entry by just five votes. Players must receive at least 75 percent of the total votes for enshrinement and Wagner received 73.8 percent of the vote.

Luckily for Wagner, he has one more year of eligibility for enshrinement and now seems like a shoo-in for selection in 2025.

Wagner was selected in the first round of the 1993 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft by the Houston Astros and made his big league debut with the club in 1995. He spent the first nine seasons of his big league career with Houston and racked up 225 saves in 464 total outings.

After leaving the Astros ahead of the 2024 campaign, Wagner spent time with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves before hanging up his cleats.

Wagner finished his career with an impressive 2.31 ERA and 422 saves to go along with a 1,196-to-300 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The lefty racked up seven All-Star appearances and a Rolaids Reliever of the Year Award throughout his impressive career. 

Luckily, Wagner has one more opportunity at baseball immortality next year before things get tricky. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising to see him make the jump next year. He has seen an uptick in votes seemingly every year he's been on the ballot and just needs a few more votes.