[閒聊] John Axford的奇幻之旅

看板MLB作者abc12812時間14年前 (2011/07/13 17:23)推噓20(20推 0噓 8→)

留言28則, 23人參與討論串1/1

主要參考原文: http://tinyurl.com/64odjat 有興趣的可以看看，這裡只節錄重點這過程差不多可以拍電影了吧 Baseball was most welcoming to Axford in 2001, when Seattle drafted him in the seventh round out of high school. Axford instead took a scholarship to Notre Dame, but he blew out his elbow in November of his junior year. He redshirted, but pitched only three innings as a senior in 2005 and lost his scholarship. Axford在01年第七輪被選上，就像很多高中生一樣，他跑去念大學 (聖母)，希望提升身價。不過大三的時候手肘受傷開TJ，大四只投了三局而喪失獎學金。 The Cincinnati Reds drafted Axford in the 43rd round, but he told them he had no place to pitch. So he enrolled at Canisius, and the Reds watched him once in 2006 and declined to offer a contract. 那一年他在43輪被紅人選上，為了提升身價而去Canisius College投球，可是投太爛，結果紅人拒絕提出合約。 Axford moved on to a summer league in Saskatchewan, playing for the Melville Millionaires, whose players draw no salary. After striking out 19 in a seven-inning game, he drew the attention of the Yankees, who signed him for 2007. 不得已之下，Axford去夏季聯賽打球，投了一場七局19K比賽，吸引了洋基的注意而簽下他。 Shuffling between three Class A teams, and playing one game at Class AAA, Axford had 67 strikeouts in 63 innings and a 3.29 E.R.A. But he was already 24, and his 45 walks and average fastball led to his release. 在小聯盟成績還OK，可是年紀有點大控球爛stuff又普普，就被釋出了。 With his baseball career in doubt, Axford tried using his degree. He had interned at a television station during college and hoped to break into film production in Toronto. With no offers, he took a job with Telus Communications, standing in the cellphone sections at Wal-Mart and Best Buy and pushing Telus products. He was paid less than $8 an hour. 本來想轉行拍電影，可是沒offer，只好當手機銷售員。 Axford continued to train, and he planned to throw for a few scouts at an indoor facility in Mississauga before spring training. Because of a snowstorm, only one scout showed up, from the Brewers. Axford made a positive impression and got a job. 雖然生活困頓，但他還是持續訓練。在隔年春訓前找了幾個球探看他投球，可是剛好遇到暴風雪，只有釀酒人的球探到場。Axford表現得不錯，得到一份小聯盟合約。 He struggled at high-Class A in 2008, but secured off-season work with a call from Mike Simoncic, the owner of an East Side Mario’s franchise restaurant in Hamilton. Simoncic belatedly noticed Axford’s résumé, which listed the Yankees as a former employer. He was intrigued, and hired Axford to tend bar in the off-season before spring training in 2009. 那一年還是丟得不好，不過他很快找到寒假打工 - 當酒保。 Axford made $8.25 an hour and tips, and Simoncic promised that if he ever made the majors, he would fly in for his debut. It seemed like a fanciful goal until the Brewers minor league instructors Lee Tunnell and Fred Dabney revamped Axford’s robotic delivery the next spring. 看起來差不多是免洗小聯盟咖了，不過就在這時遇到貴人 - 小聯盟訓練員Lee Tunnell和 Fred Dabney。 Tunnell had coached in the Arizona Fall League when Roy Halladay, a future ace, was learning a three-quarters arm angle and emphasizing a front-hip turn. Tunnell took note of Halladay’s adjustments and, years later, applied them to Axford. 多年以前，Tunnell在秋聯執教時剛好遇到正在進行投球大改造的年輕Roy Halladay。 Tunnell記下了當時Halladay的調整，並且把它運用到Axford的改造上。 “That’s what helped me,” Axford said. “I could feel myself getting out front better, I could feel myself not falling off as much. Literally, from one game to the next, it was a matter of three or four miles an hour. All of a sudden, it was just there.” Axford: 自從改造以後，個子變高了，自信心也回來了，投球都投100mph呢。 Axford was in the majors by September 2009, and Simoncic made good on his pledge, watching from the second row behind the dugout for Axford’s debut at Wrigley Field. 09年季末終於升上大聯盟了。接下來就是大家所知道的，在隔年從Hoffman手中接下終結者一職，直到現在。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 140.109.64.116

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