SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Meaning loses out to memes. Substance pales to sizzle.
But just when you think society has no depth, there is Griffin Jax.
There is nothing manufactured about his patriotism. He lives “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave” every day.
Jax is the first Air Force Academy graduate to play in the major leagues. He remains a captain in the reserves.
Last week, after watching the gold medal hockey teams in Italy, after listening to Aaron Judge’s inspirational speech, after looking down at the jersey on his chest, Jax had to pinch himself.
A man who works for his country in recruiting future cadets was representing his country in the World Baseball Classic.
“It takes me back to my heritage and what I used to do at Air Force,” Jax told The Post. “Itap pretty humbling to come full circle in this moment.”
Monday, Jax, 31, took the mound in the eighth inning against Mexico in Houston.
With the United States clinging to a 5-3 lead, Jax stared down Alejandro Kirk, who represented the tying run. Jax fell behind 3-0 in the count, then went to work. He induced a double-play groundball to shortstop Bobby Witt.
Jax did not bother restraining emotion. Being draped in red, white and blue brought out a jubilant scream as he headed to the dugout.
“When Judge spoke to the team (on the first day of practice), it got us fired up. It kind of put it in perspective. You are not just doing it for yourself, your family and your team back home — itap for the whole country,” Jax said. “You got to see it with the hockey teams and how everyone was tuned in. The WBC is not on the same scale as the Olympics, but it is as close as we can get right now.”
The performance resonated beyond the outs recorded. Monday’s starting pitcher, Paul Skenes, who attended Air Force for two years and wants to serve in the military after he retires, and Jax hosted the Air Force baseball team at Daikin Park.
“It was frickin’ electric!” Air Force coach Mike Kazlausky said Tuesday as his club returned home from a weekend series against Baylor. “For both to pitch in the game with us in attendance and speak to our men after, (it was) powerful. I am so grateful that Griff and Paul remember their roots and where they came from. … They both said to our players that it was the biggest moment of their careers, going out to the mound wearing a Team USA jersey. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. I am so proud of them.”
Paths to the big leagues are never identical, and rarely linear. Jax’s story is a testament to resilience and patience. His family, father Garth and mother Elizabeth, and twin brothers Carson and Parker, moved to Denver when Jax was in eighth grade.
It accelerated his baseball journey. He developed into a star at Cherry Creek High School, leading the Bruins to a 2012 state championship. He swung a powerful bat and anchored the pitching staff.
The Phillies drafted him in the 12th round in 2013. With only a few weeks to decide on a professional career or college, Jax headed to Colorado Springs.
“He played third base and had a great slider. And he had all the leadership qualities,” said retired former Bruins coach Marc Johnson. “When I think of Griff, what stands out is who he is. As a person, he is as good as gold. He didn’t go to the Air Force to be a professional athlete. He didn’t know if that would happen. He went there to make a difference.”
Truth is, Jax began preparing for life after baseball following his first two seasons with the Falcons. He posted a 6-18 record with a 5.49 ERA.
“I didn’t really know what pro ball looked like or might look like when I went to the Air Force. The rule was you could go play, but I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. I got humbled very quickly in Division I baseball,” Jax said. “I remember calling my parents all the time, saying this might be it for me, that it was time to plan for a full-time career in the military.”
Following his sophomore year, Jax played for the Eau Claire Express, a collegiate summer team based in Wisconsin. The Northwoods League featured top players from around the country. In a new environment, Jax learned from teammates and began to view baseball through a different lens. In his junior year, he was named Mountain West co-Conference Pitcher of the Year, going 9-2 with a 2.05 ERA and 90 strikeouts after harnessing command of his off-speed pitches and demonstrating “competitive fire that I have never seen from anyone I have ever met at The Academy,” Kazlausky said.
The Twins took Jax in the third round, fully aware of the commitment Jax owed the Air Force after graduation. He started sparingly in the minors in 2017 and 2018 and after a breakout season, COVID-19 hit in 2020, and he did not pitch.
Giving it one last season before leaving the sport, Jax prospered and made his big league debut on June 8, 2021. He eventually transitioned from a starter to a trusted reliever for the Minnesota Twins before they traded him to Tampa Bay last summer.
“My road has been pretty rocky,” said Jax, whose father played 10 years in the NFL with the Cowboys and Cardinals as a linebacker.
“But I never stopped loving it. Baseball was always the sport I was drawn to the most. It’s what I remember playing with my buddies growing up. You learn something new everyday and it keeps you young.”
Jax remains tethered to The Academy. His wife, Savannah, is a captain in the Air Force and his brothers are pilots. They were part of a flyover before the Twins game on Sept. 11, 2024, with Parker in a F-35 Lightning II jet and Carson throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Griff.
Jax transitioned to the reserves in 2019 and works remotely from Phoenix, recognizing he is better suited to help with his feet on the ground.
“I answer questions from kids about what life as an officer looks like, what school looks like,” Jax said. “I did get a ride in an F-16 during my sophomore year. It felt like I ran a marathon. I was wrecked for like three days. I threw up. Lost weight. It was the coolest thing ever. But I don’t know if I could handle that. It is not as glamorous as ‘Top Gun.'”
Jax laughed as he told the story. Then, he looked up. He was standing on a back field at Papago Park watching Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Judge take batting practice.
The sun was beaming. And there was not a cloud in the sky.
“When (Team USA manager Mark) DeRosa called in October to ask me to do this, it was the quickest yes of my life,” Jax said. “It is crazy to think about. The 10-year-old boy in me would be so eyes wide and mouth open, not believing it.”
