Billy Wagner, the baseball coach at Miller School, was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America on January 2. He received 82.5% of the vote, well over the 75% needed to be elected. Wagner played 16 seasons in major league baseball after being drafted by the Houston Astros in 1993. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves before retiring in 2010.
“Billy the Kid,” as he was called, was a left-handed relief pitcher racking up 422 career saves in over 900 innings pitched and was a seven-time all-star. He is the first left-handed reliever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is also the first Virginian and the first Division III College Player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was one of three players elected to the Hall of Fame this year along with slugger Ichiro Suzuki and pitcher C.C. Sabathia.