Axford inducted on to Brewers' Wall of Honor
Canadian John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) was inducted on to the Milwaukee Brewers’ Wall of Honor in a pre-game ceremony at American Family Field on Saturday. Photo: Milwaukee Brewers/X
August 25, 2025
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Canadian John Axford was inducted on to the Milwaukee Brewers’ Wall of Honor in a pre-game ceremony at American Family Field on Saturday.
“It’s really hard to describe other than to say that I am extremely proud and happy to be here and to be joining all of these other deserving players,” Axford told MLB.com of the honour on Saturday.
Axford’s two sons, JB and Jameson, were on hand for the ceremony along with many family members and friends, including former Brewers GM Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.) and ex-Brewers teammate Jim Henderson (Calgary, Alta.).
Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former teammate Rickie Weeks.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander 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 are the third-most in club history.
His 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 went on to enjoy stints with the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. And he had one last outing with the Brewers in 2021 where unfortunately he blew out his elbow after 22 pitches and faced Tommy John surgery.
It would’ve been a devastating end to his career, but Brewers legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker convinced him to rehab the injury and come back.
"Bob is one of the main reasons I ended up pitching again in 2023 after I blew my elbow out here in 2021," Axford said of Uecker in his speech on Saturday. "Bob and I had a heart-to-heart in the kitchen, and he talked to me like a player. Lots of swear words used, which people didn't really get to hear from Bob, but he was a player at heart and that conversation changed something for me.
"It made me realize I needed to have surgery. I needed to go out on my own terms and get to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Without that conversation, I'm not sure how it would have gone. So, my immense gratitude towards Bob – obviously, for every conversation that we had.”
Axford 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.
On Saturday, the former Canadian closer became the 72nd member of the Brewers’ Wall of Honor.