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 (born April 1, 1983), also known as "Ax Man", is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for many teams. These include the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Axford started his MLB career in 2009. In 2011, he led the National League in saves. A "save" happens when a pitcher finishes a close game without letting the other team score too much. For his great performance, he won the Rolaids Relief Man Award.
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Playing Baseball as a Youngster
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.
He played for these teams for four years. During that time, he had a record of 37 wins and 12 losses. His earned run average (ERA) was 1.88, which is very good. He also struck out 432 batters.
The Seattle Mariners picked John in the 2001 MLB draft. But he chose to go to the University of Notre Dame instead. He played college baseball there. In 2003, he had a surgery called Tommy John surgery. This surgery helps pitchers recover from elbow injuries. He still earned a degree in film, television, and theatre.
Later, the Cincinnati Reds drafted him in 2005. He also played for Canisius College. After that, he played for the Melville Millionaires. His strong pitching caught the eye of the New York Yankees.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting with the Yankees
The New York Yankees signed John Axford in 2006. He played for several of their minor league teams. These teams help young players get ready for the big leagues. He played for the Staten Island Yankees and Tampa Yankees. In 2007, he had a record of 1 win and 4 losses. The Yankees released him in December 2007.
Time with the Milwaukee Brewers
After leaving the Yankees, John signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008. He played for their minor league team, the Brevard County Manatees. In 2009, he played only as a bullpen pitcher. He had a great record of 9 wins and 1 loss.
The Brewers called him up to the major leagues on September 7, 2009. He made his first MLB appearance on September 15.
In 2010, John became the Brewers' "closer." A closer is a pitcher who comes into the game at the very end to protect a lead. He was very successful in this role. He even grew a handlebar mustache, which made fans like him even more! He finished 2010 with 8 wins and 2 losses. He also saved 24 games out of 27 chances.
In 2011, John continued as the Brewers' closer. He had an amazing season. He converted 26 saves in a row, which was a team record! He won the "Delivery Man of the Month Award" for July. On September 24, he set a new Brewers record for most saves in a single season with 45.
For the 2011 season, he led the National League with 46 saves. He was the first Brewers pitcher since Rollie Fingers to lead the league in saves. He also did well in the playoffs. John won several awards for his great year. These included the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award and the Canadian Tip O'Neill Award.
In 2012, John started strong with 6 straight saves. This made his streak 49 saves in a row, one of the longest in MLB history! The streak ended on May 11, 2012. He finished 2012 with 35 saves. On September 16, he got his 100th career save.
In 2013, John played for the Canadian national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Later that year, the Brewers traded him.
Moving to the St. Louis Cardinals
On August 30, 2013, John Axford was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. With the Cardinals, coaches helped him fix some issues with his pitching. He finished the season strong with a low 1.74 ERA in his last 13 games. He also pitched well in the 2013 postseason.
Playing for Other Teams
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John signed with the Cleveland Indians in December 2013. He was their closer, but he struggled a bit and lost the job. In August 2014, he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played for them for a short time.
In 2015, John signed with the Colorado Rockies. He became their closer after another pitcher got injured. After the season, he left the Rockies.
John then signed with the Oakland Athletics for two years in 2015. He played in 68 games in 2016. He was released by the Athletics in 2017.
Return to Toronto Blue Jays
In 2018, John signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made it onto their main team. On July 28, he made his first career start as a pitcher. He was the sixth Canadian-born pitcher to start a game for the Blue Jays.
Short Time with the Los Angeles Dodgers
On July 31, 2018, John was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He only played in five games for them.
Second Time with the Blue Jays and Brewers
In 2019, John signed again with the Blue Jays. He had an elbow injury and needed surgery. He only played in one rehab game before becoming a free agent.
After not playing in 2020, John rejoined the Blue Jays in 2021. He pitched for their rookie-level team. On August 2, 2021, he was traded back to the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched in one game for them before another elbow injury ended his season.
In 2022, John announced he was throwing a baseball again after his surgery. In December 2022, he shared that he would play for Team Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
On March 12, 2024, John Axford announced he was retiring from professional baseball.
How He Pitched
When John Axford first became a closer, he mostly used his powerful fastball. This pitch usually went around 96 to 98 miles per hour. It could even reach 100 mph! Because he is tall, his fastball came down at a sharp angle.
Over time, his other pitches became very good too. He regularly threw a curveball that moved sharply downwards. He also had a slider that had a late, sharp break.
Personal Life
John Axford earned a degree in film and television from Notre Dame. He loves movies! He is known for correctly predicting many winners at the Oscars. For example, he correctly picked 18 winners in 2014. He also picked 19 winners in 2017. John 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
