By: Matthew Page
amny.com
For two former New York left-handed baseball players, their path to the National Baseball Hall of Fame came to an end Sunday. New York Yankees left-handed pitcher CC Sabathia was enshrined after being chosen on his first ballot, and former New York Mets closer Billy Wagner ended his 10-year wait for a call-up to Cooperstown.
Both pitchers had historic careers in their respective roles. Sabathia posted a 251-161 record with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts in 561 games, starting all but one, between the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Yankees.
He helped New York win the World Series title in 2009, winning the American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player award in his first year in pinstripes, along with six All-Star Games and a Cy Young Award.
In 11 years with the “Bronx Bombers,” Sabathia posted a 134-88 record, a 3.81 ERA and 1,700 strikeouts in 307 games.
Meanwhile, Wagner is the first left-handed reliever to enter the Hall of Fame, leading lefties in saves with 422. In 853 appearances, he boasts a 2.31 ERA and 1,196 strikeouts. In 183 games with the Mets, he recorded 101 saves, along with a 2.37 ERA and 230 strikeouts.
His powerful fastball propelled him to seven All-Star appearances and a Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year Award in 1999. Wagner earned his spot in his final year of induction eligibility.
«You spend fifteen years of criticism to get to this point; There’s not much you can do,” Wagner said. “Just the journey and the struggle to get to this point, enjoy it and I think the range of emotions that you experience when you’re going through this.”
In turn, Sabathia said interacting with Wagner in the months after the results were announced was a pleasant experience. “We’re teammates in this now,” he said.
«It has been a lot of fun these last 6 months getting to know each other and talking about baseball. “I think what has brought him and me together the most is being able to talk about the game, from beginning to end.”
However, what makes their nominations unique is that they join a small but powerful group of left-handed pitchers, reaching the most exclusive group in baseball. Wagner and Sabathia bring the total number of lefties in Cooperstown to 20.
Sabathia is the 19th left-handed starter to do so, making him one of only four left-handers to record 3,000 career strikeouts.
“A left-handed pitcher definitely has the advantage of staying in the big leagues because he’s a minority,” 1991 Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins said when discussing Sabathia’s success. “I think a left-hander is more in demand than a right-hander, but he was an exceptional pitcher.”
Wagner, who arrived with a Houston Astros cap on his license plate, joins teammates Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell in Cooperstown. Biggio called Wagner a key piece of the team’s success in the late ’90s and early ’00s.
“It was incredible,” Biggio said. “We had a lot of success in the ’90s, and I don’t think you have much success without a dominant closer, and for nine years, he was the man.”
Both CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner will go down in history as the best pitchers of their respective eras. However, both are historic, as they will join an exceptional group of lefties in Cooperstown for their storied careers.
