September 14, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Boston Red Sox left-hander James Paxton will retire at the end of the season.

The 35-year-old Ladner, B.C., native made this announcement on Rod Bradford’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast on Wednesday.

“I’m hoping that we [the Red Sox] can squeak into the postseason and I get an opportunity to pitch again. But I think, after this season, I’m going to be retiring and moving on to the next chapter,” Paxton told Bradford.

Now in his 11th major league campaign, Paxton has been on the injured list with a torn right-calf muscle since August 12. The Red Sox moved him to the 60-day injured list on August 23. For him to return, the Red Sox would not only have to secure an American League Wild Card spot (They’re currently four-and-a-half games out) but also advance deep into the postseason.

“It was tough. Obviously, I think that I can still do it. I can still go out there and compete and help a team win. But I just think with where my family’s at and what they need right now, they need me home, and I feel a duty and a responsibility to be at home with my family,” said Paxton, who has two young children with his wife, Katie. “And I’m looking forward to being at home with my family and spending more time with them, too.”

After going 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA in 18 starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers to begin the season, Paxton was designated for assignment and traded to the Red Sox on July 26 for Moises Bolivar.

He suffered the calf injury in his third start with the Red Sox.

In February, Paxton signed a complicated one-year deal with the Dodgers that, including bonuses, will pay him $13 million this season. He inked the deal after going 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts with the Red Sox last season. Prior to that, he had missed almost two full seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

A North Delta Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum, Paxton has had overcome numerous injuries in his big league career, but when healthy, he has been an effective starting pitcher.

After being selected in the fourth round by the Seattle Mariners in 2010, Paxton spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the M’s, recording 41 wins and a 3.42 ERA in 102 starts.

Two of his most memorable starts came within six days of each other in May 2018. On May 2, 2018, he threw seven scoreless innings and fanned 16 Oakland A’s batters to set a record for most strikeouts in a major league game by a Canadian pitcher.

For an encore, six days later, he became the second Canadian to throw a big-league no-hitter – and the first to do so on Canadian soil – when he accomplished the feat in a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Paxton struck out seven and walked three in his history-making 99-pitch performance.

“It’s very special. I can’t think of a better place to have done it,” Paxton told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae in an interview after the no-hitter. “The Canadian fans are great. I’m very happy to have done it here.”

Paxton finished that season with an 11-6 record and a 3.76 ERA. He also registered career-bests in innings pitched (160 1/3) and strikeouts (208). For his efforts, he won the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award, as the top Canuck player.

Following that campaign, he was dealt to the New York Yankees where he recorded career-highs in wins (15) and starts (29) in 2019 and also posted a 3.46 ERA in three post-season starts.

He returned to the Mariners in 2021 but made just one start before being forced to undergo Tommy John surgery.

In all, in parts of 11 major league campaigns, Paxton owns a 73-41 record and a 3.77 ERA in 177 starts.

According to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, he ranks in the top 10 among Canadian big-league pitchers in several statistical categories, including sixth in strikeouts (1,005), seventh in wins (73), seventh in starts (177) and ninth in WAR (13.9).

Paxton told Bradford that he has already started his next career, which is a joint venture with his trainer.

“I’m starting a company with a trainer of mine and friend called Athlete Complete where we’re going to address mental health in sports,” Paxton told Bradford. “Mentor and help programs, build culture and stuff like that around making mental health more of a priority.”