A trade last season to the Cardinals appears to have saved the career of new Indians closer John Axford. Upon his arrival following his acquisition from the Brewers in August, the Cardinals' coaching staff sat the right-hander down and let him know he was tipping his pitches.
"I recall, sitting in that room when they told me that, a few different games running through my mind, including blown saves, and thinking, 'Maybe that’s why they didn’t swing at that slider that was just out of the zone,'" Axford told the National Post.
The advice paid huge dividends for Axford, who posted a 1.74 ERA in 13 regular-season appearances and a 1.59 ERA in six postseason outings following the trade. Axford, who had lost his closer's job with the Brewers, had a 4.67 ERA in 2012 and a 4.45 ERA last season before the trade.
"I obviously wouldn’t have been in the World Series, and I don’t think I would be in the position I’m in right now with the Cleveland Indians if I wasn’t traded [from Milwaukee]," he said. "[The St. Louis] coaching staff really helped me out, picking that up and helping me along the way for those two months. And pitching well, and pitching well in the playoffs -- I think that’s what really catapulted the opportunity for me to be a closer again."