FERRUM, Va. (WFXR) — Great news for Tazewell native and former Ferrum College pitcher Billy Wagner as he cracks the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
Last year, Wagner was 5 votes away from getting into the hall. This year, Wagner got 82.5 percent of the vote which is above the 75 percent of the vote required for induction.
He became the ninth pitcher in the hall who was primarily a reliever – the first left-hander among them. Along with Wagner, 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.
Sabathia and Suzuki were elected in their first appearance on the ballot. The trio will be inducted into the hall at Cooperstown on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, voted in last month by the classic era committee.
During the announcement, Wagner’s alma mater in Ferrum College had a big watch party and as you can expect they are excited about one of their own heading to the hall. While at Ferrum, Wagner set the NCAA single-season record for strike outs per 9 innings and fewest hits allowed per 9 innings.
