Paxton proving he has stuff left in the tank
While James Paxton hasn’t faced the Yankees this year — thanks to Saturday’s rainout, he won’t do so in this series — the lefthander is pitching in a way that is very familiar to them.
After missing nearly all of the 202022 seasons, Paxton is not only back on the mound, but evoking his pre-injury form with the Mariners and Yankees. In six starts with the Sox, he’s 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA and a 33 percent strikeout rate that ranks sixth in the big leagues in that time.
The 34-year-old is averaging 96 miles per hour on his fastball, third-hardest among lefthanded starters, while also featuring a curveball and cutter that are swing-and-miss weapons and a timing disrupting changeup.
It seemed fair to wonder after his years on the sidelines whether Paxton — whose scheduled Sunday night start was bumped back to Monday in Minnesota — would ever again perform at such a level. Yet Paxton remained convinced his peak hadn’t passed.
“I felt like I wasn’t done. I felt like I still had some left in the tank to give, and I still feel like I do,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of injuries over my career. I think I’ve got some bullets saved up. And the arm feels great out there right now.”
It’s showing. Manager Alex Cora recently suggested the pitcher’s performance reminded him of how the lefthander looked in 2017, when Cora was the Astros bench coach and Paxton (12-5 with a 2.98 ERA as a 28-year-old) was a Mariners ace.
Paxton said that he feels more like the pitcher he was in 2018, the year when he had a no-hitter and a 16-strikeout game for Seattle, and with the Yankees in 2019 following an offseason trade, when he went 10-0 with a 2.51 ERA in his final 11 starts.
“The first half of 2019, I was not throwing the ball that well. That was my first time pitching in New York and I was kind of getting used to that,” Paxton recalled. “And then second half in New York, I kind of got comfortable being there and throwing the ball well. I kind of feel like that’s where I’ve kind of picked up from.”
Paxton pitched that year in three postseason games, including a standout performance in Game 5 of the ALCS, but in 2020 had back surgery in spring training and then a forearm strain after five starts in the pandemic-shortened season. That ultimately began his yearslong struggle to stay healthy.
“I had a great experience there. Fantastic people over there, really helped me a lot. It was great playing in front of the fans in New York,” said Paxton. “I just really enjoyed the baseball experience there.”
Healthy again, he is enjoying his experience on the northern side of the rivalry, elated to once again be in position to take the mound on his turn. After years simply being a rehabber, he is once again embracing the challenges and possibilities of pitching — adapting his arsenal game after game based on the gameplan, as well as his strengths and weaknesses on a given day.
As he does so, Paxton’s impact has gone from purely theoretical to quickly becoming pivotal. His mid-May return has roughly coincided with the emergence of the Sox rotation as one of the better ones in baseball in that stretch. Sox starters have a 3.51 ERA since midMay; if the team is to make a push toward contention, the continued success of that group will be critical.
Paxton recognized that responsibility, yet tried to downplay it.
“It’s not something you can take out to the mound with you. We’re out there doing everything we can to be the best we can that day no matter what. I’m not really thinking about what the team needs, because I can’t,” said Paxton. “I have to be focused solely on what I’m trying to accomplish on the mound. So each day I’m going out there when I’m pitching and just giving it everything I’ve got.”
Of course, if Paxton continues to perform in this fashion but the Red Sox do not narrow the gap in the standings, his season could take on a very different direction — and location. Paxton, eligible for free agency after the season, could emerge as one of the most attractive trade targets in the game as a rental starter who is making just $4 million this year.
“That’s the game. We all know what happens when things like this happen,” said Paxton. “I hope that we can turn this thing around and get into a good position in the standings to make the postseason. That’s the goal right now, to get on a hot streak and get this team where it wants to go. I’m just going to take things one day at a time, focus on doing my job here the best I can for this team, and whatever happens happens.”
For a pitcher who has spent so little time on the mound in recent years, the opportunity to contemplate his pitching future — Paxton said he wants to pitch as long as his arm and his wife will allow him to do so — represents a welcome departure.
“This is great. Just being healthy and being able to go to work on pitching stuff is the best,” he said. “I’m feeling really good about where my body’s at, where my mechanics are, my mind-set on the mound. I’m trying to keep that going.”