NEW YORK — Used to leading off, Ichiro Suzuki got antsy when he had to wait. Considered a no-doubt pick for baseball’s Hall of Fame and possibly the second unanimous selection, he waited by the phone for the expected call Tuesday. Fifteen minutes passed without a ring.

In electing Wagner, the BBWAA has defined the modern-day closer as its own entity, with candidates’ credentials measured not against the whole of the body but against this specific peer group.

The three stalwarts were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday and will be enshrined in Cooperstown this summer.