Major League Baseball’s offseason has captured the interest of many fans after several big-name players signed with new teams through free agency or were involved in trades.
While current players prepare for the 2025 season, some former players also had an interesting offseason as the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Class was announced.
The three players inducted in 2025 include Ichiro Suzuki and S.S. Sabathia, who was included in the first year on the ballot, and Billy Wagner, who was included in the last possible year on the ballot.
Wagner received 82.5 percent of the vote to be inducted, and he revealed why he is entering the Hall of Fame with the Houston Astros.
“The Astros were where I first came up, I’m definitely connected to the Astros, my kids are born there,” Wagner said on “X” via MLB Network.
.@BillyWagner1313 explains why he will enter @baseballhall as a member @astros: ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3cVD9ugsQZ
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 25, 2025
As Wagner entered the MLB with the Astros, he also says his two best teammates were Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, so he followed their lead and entered the Hall of Fame as an All-Star.
Wagner entered the league with the Astros in 1995, where he played nine seasons before also playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.
In his 16-season career, Wagner appeared in 853 games, posting a 47-40 record with a 2.31 ERA, 422 saves and 1,196 strikeouts in 903.0 innings.
Wagner will likely enjoy the next few weeks as the reality of being a baseball Hall of Famer sinks in.
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