From the Mound

The tension was thicker than the pizza crust at Giovanni’s on the Mesa, where a cluster of patrons agonized over a televised baseball game last Monday night. The Chicago White Sox clung to a 4-3 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays, and rookie pitcher Dylan Axelrod’s last chance to snag a major-league victory this year hung in the balance.

Axelrod had already done his part. In his third start since the White Sox called him up from the minor leagues, the right-hander from Santa Barbara pitched a six-inning shutout. “He’s gotten into a good rhythm,” observed his dad, Dennis Axelrod, intently keeping score in the pizza parlor. The score sheet showed that Dylan allowed just three hits and struck out six batters, one in each inning. His first victim was Jose Bautista, the major-league home-run hitter. He ended his stint with a flourish, whiffing J.P. Arencibia on four pitches.

A loud “Yeah!” came from the delegation watching the game. They represented UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) WORK, Inc. Dylan, a volunteer with that organization, is their good friend. They followed every one of his games from the start of the season, when he pitched for the Double-A Birmingham Barons; through his sterling performances with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights; and now, they shared in his big-league experience.