Brewers legendary closer John Axford to rightly be inducted into Wall of Honor

The Milwaukee Brewers' Wall of Honor is set to add its newest name in John Axford. The Wall of Honor includes names from Rollie Fingers to Ryan Braun to Bill Schroeder, all of whom having to meet certain criteria in order to join the illustrious club. Axford's 250+ games pitched along with his Reliever of the Year award were more than enough for the pitcher to be the latest name etched in Brewers history.

The Ax Man had quite the MLB journey, but six of his 11 seasons were spent in Milwaukee. There were numerous years where Axford played on two teams in a season. After a lengthy minor league journey, the reliever made his major league debut on September 15, 2009. He put up a 3.52 ERA in seven games pitched for the 2009 season, an ERA that would be nearly cut in half with 10 times the amount of games played across the next two seasons.

Brewers John Axford's impending honor is more than well-deserved

2011 was the year of John Axford. An 8-2 record in 2010 to go along with 24 saves and a 2.48ERA is quite impressive, but 2011 saw one of the best performances of a reliever in a single season. Axford played in 50 games in 2010, a number that jumped to 74 the year after. He secured 46 saves in the 2011 season, leading the National League. Giving up just four home runs in 73.2 innings pitched, Axford's ERA dropped to 1.95. There was no argument to be made that year as Axford took home the Reliver of the Year crown.

His next season wasn't perfect, but he still picked up 35 saves in 69.1 innings pitched. It's clear that 2012 was not going to be a repeat of 2011, but Axford's tenure with the Brewers will never be forgotten. With a total of 108 saves in Milwaukee, he sits behind only Josh Hader's 125 and Dan Plesac's 133. Axford's 46 saves in a single season may never be touched by a Brewer, as not even Josh Hader or Devin Williams were able to surpass 40 in a single season.

No one can take away Axford's love for the game. He fought his way from the minor leagues back to the MLB, where Milwaukee was willing to give him another chance. This chance came in 2021, a bit past his prime. Things didn't end well as Axford ended up needing Tommy John surgery after not even completing a full inning. His determination got him back to join Team Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but that was the end of the line as his comeback bid fell short.

There will never be another John Axford. The fans absolutely fell in love with him and he came in and took care of business. Even in his down years, he was still playing for the love of the game and fighting to get his spot back. Axford took Trevor Hoffman's spot on the team, another Wall of Honor member. That was no easy feat, but he certainly made the most of it in 2010-11. The Brewers are still working out the details as to when Axford will come back to Milwaukee to be honored.

More Brewers News from Reviewing the Brew