LYNX: WHO WAS THAT MOP-UP MAN?

Small world: Port Dover, Ont., pitcher John Axford, whom we used to cover in our days at the Simcoe Reformer, made his Triple-A debut tonight in Ottawa. Axford, a 24-year-old rookie with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, got in as the the mop-up man against the Lynx, who romped 17-4 (box, play-by-play).

Axford's call-up to Triple-A is likely only temporary, as the Scranton paper reported. Learning of this is pretty heady stuff, though. Axford's success since he started his comeback from his 2003 Tommy John surgery, has not moved in a straight line. He was on Canada's national team at age 20 in 2003, but in the span of a couple months that year, he lost his close friend and pitching mentor, Doug King, who had a fatal heart attack and then injured his elbow, requiring surgery.

His control remains a work-in-progress -- 75 walks in 70 innings for Canisius College in his final season of college baseball, 2006. However, you can't teach someone to be 6-foot-5 and throw 96 miles per hour, so the Yankees signed him as a free agent last summer. He opened the season with high Single-A Tampa, where he'll likely return soon.

Obviously, John's velocity was Reason One the Yankees took him on, but the few times I talked with his parents, Vera and Brian, were a good clue as to why people wanted to give John a chance. The Axfords were always accommodating with the Reformer and it didn't take long to pick up the vibe that they had raised John well and that he had their unconditional support, whatever he did in baseball.

The game had become a 14-4 debacle by the time the ScranYanks put in Axford, so it's questionable how many people even knew the tall kid on the mound was Canadian, let alone knew where he has been as a ballplayer. He gave up two hits, a walk and a run in his two-thirds of an inning, but did strike out his first batter, Lynx leadoff man Chris Roberson, who's got major-league experience. All in all, not too shabby for a kid from small-town Ontario who was supposed to go to extended spring training and start the season in low Single-A.

Just being here tonight with the ScranYanks shows that Axford appears to be farther ahead than expected when they signed him.

Previous:
Yankees Give John Axford The Ball (Aug. 15, 2006)
Related:
Yankees Reward Axford For Good Spring (Brian Smiley, Brantford Expositor, April 10)
Lynx a big hit with manager (Don Brennan, Sun Media)

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.