“Nobody needs a closer until you need a closer” – Billy Wagner gets candid about his Hall of Fame journey

The road to National Baseball Hall of Fame induction wasn't an easy one for Billy Wagner. Instead, it was long and frustrating. In the end, it proved to be rewarding for the first-ever left-handed relief pitcher to be inducted. After 10 long years of waiting, the six-time All-Star and former Houston Astros closer punched his ticket to Cooperstown after finally receiving the percentage of votes needed.

This week, Billy Wagner sat down with Brian Kenny of the MLB Network to discuss his journey into the Hall. A number of topics were broken down over the course of the seven-plus minute interview. One of the more impactful moments occurred at the tail end when Kenny laughingly asked Wagner if he could believe it took nine years for Goose Gossage to be voted into the Hall.

"Nobody needs a closer until you need a closer," Wagner said. "Can you imagine if the Yankees wouldn't have had Wetteland and Rivera?"

Though each laughed about the absurdity, Billy Wagner's expression suggested he wasn't thrilled about the duration it took. The interview began with Kenny asking how the entire process was for him and his family.

"Overwhelming," Wagner replied. "Not knowing what this is really about. Knowing who's here. Understanding the significance of your career to get to this point. It's a lot of things going on. Not sure how to put it in the right terms right now. Because it's taken a long time to get here."

Noticing how much of a toll the decade-long journey to Cooperstown took, Kenny then asked what Wagner was thinking when his vote totals were clocking in at 10-11%.

"Guys were like hey, you just got to play the long road. You start getting in that 60% and then last year was very tough," Wagner said. "So, but it was just kind of enduring that constant, is this really going to happen?

"That played heavy, but this was a tough year waiting and then you go out and throw up an 82% and you're like where did that come from? The whole process is tough to deal with."

A 16-year MLB career saw the left-hander amass a 47-40 overall record with a 2.31 ERA and nearly 1,200 strikeouts. Billy Wagner's meal ticket to the hall came with notching an impressive 422 saves — an output that ranks as the eighth most in league history. All stats acquired, however, came with only 903 career innings pitched, a tally the lefty believes prevented him from getting enshrined earlier.

The steadying force beside Billy Wagner

The interview got real immediately after. Billy Wagner became emotional speaking about what his wife and family had to endure throughout his playing days. Brian Kenny started the topic off by asking what it was like for him and his wife after getting the call.

"Being a closer's wife sucks! You're good only when you're good and so, she threw every pitch," Wagner replied. "She competed every play. Going to New York, you can't help but read and hear the things on the news. So, she'd been through it all. I didn't realize that until I got into my son's career.

"You're sitting in the stands and somebody says your son sucks. You're like what? She had to sit down and deal with that. You're sitting there and your husband has a bad playoff game and they're just roasting you. She's as into it as anybody else. Having her for 30 years to go through this ride, I'm lucky."

The two then talked about all the great players Billy Wagner was teammates with throughout his career, who he'll want to speak with when enshrined over the summer, and how he was extremely tough on himself. A great story was rehashed about Charlie Manuel after his streak of 31 straight saves was snapped when closing games for the Philadelphia Phillies.