John Axford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Axford |
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Axford with the St. Louis Cardinals
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: April 1, 1983 Simcoe, Ontario, Canada |
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| debut | |||
| September 15, 2009, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 2, 2021, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 38–34 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.90 | ||
| Strikeouts | 589 | ||
| Saves | 144 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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John Berton Axford, also known as "Ax Man," is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These teams included the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Axford started his MLB career in 2009 with the Brewers. In 2011, he won the Rolaids Relief Man Award for being the best relief pitcher. He also led the National League in saves that year.
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Early Baseball Years
John Axford grew up in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. He went to Assumption College School in Brantford. His school did not have a baseball team. So, he played for local teams like Port Dover Minor Baseball, Team Ontario, and Team Canada. Over four years, he had a great record. He won 37 games and lost 12. He also had a low earned run average (ERA) of 1.88. He pitched 278 innings and got 432 strikeouts.
College Baseball Career
The Seattle Mariners picked Axford in the 2001 MLB draft. But he chose to go to the University of Notre Dame on a scholarship instead. He played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2002 and 2003. In December 2003, he had Tommy John surgery. This meant he could not play during his third year of college.
He played 26 games as a starting pitcher for Notre Dame. His record was 14 wins and 6 losses. Even though he lost his scholarship in his final year, he still earned a degree. He studied film, television, and theatre.
In 2005, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Axford. He then played for Canisius College in 2006. After that, he played for the Melville Millionaires. His strong pitching there caught the eye of the New York Yankees.
Professional Baseball Journey
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees signed Axford as a minor-league player in August 2006. In 2007, he played for several of their minor league teams. He had a combined record of 1 win and 4 losses. The Yankees released him in December 2007.
Milwaukee Brewers
After working as a cell phone salesman, Axford signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in March 2008. He played for their minor league teams. In 2009, he played only as a relief pitcher. He had a great record of 9 wins and 1 loss.
He was called up to the Brewers on September 7, 2009. He made his MLB debut on September 15. He pitched one inning and gave up one run.
In 2010, Axford started the season in the minor leagues. He was promoted to the Brewers in May. The Brewers' main closer, Trevor Hoffman, was having trouble. So, Axford was given the job of closer. He did very well in this new role. He became popular with fans for his handlebar mustache. He finished 2010 with 8 wins and 2 losses. He had a 2.48 ERA and saved 24 games. He also struck out 76 batters.
Axford continued as the Brewers' closer in 2011. He struggled early but then saved every game for the rest of the season. On July 27, he set a Brewers record with 26 straight saves. He was named the Delivery Man of the Month for July 2011. On September 24, he set a new Brewers record for most saves in a single season with 45. He finished the season leading the National League with 46 saves. He had a 1.95 ERA and 86 strikeouts. He was the first Brewers pitcher since Rollie Fingers to lead the league in saves.
He also did well in the 2011 postseason. He had 3 saves and a 1.29 ERA in 6 playoff games. He won several awards for his success in 2011. These included the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award and the Canadian Tip O'Neill Award.
In 2012, Axford started with 6 straight saves. This extended his streak to 49 consecutive saves, which was the fourth-longest in MLB history. The streak ended on May 11, 2012. He finished the 2012 season with 35 saves. He also set a new career high with 93 strikeouts. On September 16, he recorded his 100th career save.
In 2013, Axford played for the Canadian national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He struggled early in the MLB season. The Brewers replaced him as their closer. He had a 4.45 ERA in 62 games for Milwaukee.
St. Louis Cardinals
On August 30, 2013, the Brewers traded Axford to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals' coaches helped Axford fix his pitching mechanics. He finished the season strong with a 1.74 ERA in his last 13 games. He also had a 1.59 ERA in the 2013 postseason. After the season, the Cardinals did not offer him a new contract.
Cleveland Indians
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On December 19, 2013, Axford signed with the Cleveland Indians. He was expected to be their closer. He had 9 saves in April but then struggled. He lost his closer job in May.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Axford in August 2014. He was later removed from their roster and became a free agent.
Colorado Rockies
Axford signed with the Colorado Rockies in January 2015. He became their closer after another pitcher got injured. He was later removed from the Rockies' roster after the season.
Oakland Athletics
On December 11, 2015, Axford signed a two-year contract with the Oakland Athletics. In 2016, he played in 68 games and had 3 saves. He was released by the Athletics in August 2017.
Toronto Blue Jays
Axford signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in February 2018. He made his first career start on July 28. He became the sixth Canadian-born pitcher to start a game for the Blue Jays.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On July 31, 2018, Axford was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played in only five games for them.
Toronto Blue Jays (Second Time)
Axford signed a minor league contract to return to the Blue Jays in February 2019. He was released in March due to an elbow injury. He later re-signed with the Blue Jays after agreeing to rehab. He had surgery on his pitching elbow in August. He became a free agent in November 2019.
After not playing in 2020, Axford rejoined the Blue Jays in June 2021. He pitched for their rookie-level team.
Milwaukee Brewers (Second Time)
On August 2, 2021, Axford was traded back to the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched in one game before getting injured again. It was a serious elbow injury, and he missed the rest of the season. He became a free agent after the season.
On June 6, 2022, Axford announced he was throwing a baseball again. This was after having Tommy John surgery in September 2021. In December 2022, he announced he would play for Team Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. On March 12, 2024, John Axford announced his retirement from professional baseball.
Pitching Style
When John Axford first became a closer, he mostly used his powerful fastball. This pitch was usually thrown around 96 to 98 miles per hour. It could even reach 100 miles per hour! Because he is tall, his fastball came down at a sharp angle.
Later in his career, his other pitches became very good too. He regularly threw a curveball around 79 to 80 miles per hour. It had a sharp, downward break. He also threw a slider at 83 to 86 miles per hour. This pitch had a late, sharp break.
Life Outside Baseball
John Axford earned a degree from Notre Dame in film and television. He is a big fan of movies. He is known for correctly predicting many winners at the Oscars. For example, he correctly picked 14 out of 15 winners in 2013. In 2014, he got all 18 winners right! He also did well in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Axford is also involved with the annual Milwaukee Film Festival.
See also
In Spanish: John Axford para niños
- List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders
