Axford to be inducted on to Brewers' Wall of Honor
January 28, 2025
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Canadian John Axford will be inducted on to the Milwaukee Brewers’ Wall of Honor this summer.
The Brewers made the announcement on Monday.
Details on the induction ceremony will be announced shortly.
Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) spent six major league seasons with the Brewers (2009 to 2013, 2021). In 2011, he set a franchise record with 46 saves and his 106 total saves with the Brewers are the third-most in club history.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander’s pro career began when he signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 2006. He’d spend one campaign in the Bombers’ organization before inking a minor league deal with the Brewers.
Axford pitched in parts of two seasons in the Brewers’ organization before being called up in September 2009. The Canuck righty enjoyed a breakout season with the Brew Crew in 2010 when he went 8-2 with a 2.48 ERA and 24 saves and struck out 76 batters in 58 innings in 50 appearances.
He followed that up with his most dominant campaign in 2011 when he not only established a franchise record in saves, but he also led the National League in that category. In that season, Axford registered a 1.95 ERA and fanned 86 batters in 73 2/3 innings in 74 appearances. For his efforts, he was named co-winner (along with Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.)) of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award, as top Canadian player.
He added 35 more saves in 2012 and made 62 relief appearances for the Brewers in 2013 prior to being dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Axford concluded his big league career with stints with the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
In all, in parts of 11 major league seasons, Axford posted a 3.90 ERA and amassed 144 saves in 544 appearances. He finished his career among the all-time Canadian major league pitching leaders in several categories, including second in saves and games finished (286) and sixth in appearances.
He officially retired after throwing a scoreless inning for Canada in their 18-8 win over Great Britain in the first game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.