From Cherry Creek to the World Series: Griffin Jax's Path Runs Through the Air Force Academy

Griffin Jax, a Cherry Creek High School graduate who pitched at the U.S. Air Force Academy, is projected to start Game 4 of the World Series for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. It is the second straight year a Colorado pitcher has started in the Series, after Grandview alum Kevin Gausman made two starts for the Blue Jays last year against the Dodgers.

Jax's competitive streak was evident in May 2016, in his final regular-season start for the Falcons. Protecting a 1-0 lead over New Mexico in the ninth inning, he saw the tying run reach base and a mound visit follow. Former Air Force coach Mike Kazlausky recalled that Jax told his pitching coach to go back to the dugout. Jax got a pop-up for the final out. It was his third straight complete game and secured Air Force its first winning season in more than 20 years. He was named Mountain West co-Pitcher of the Year.

Jax, 31, remains a captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, where his duties include recruiting future cadets. He credits his work ethic to his father, Garth, who played 10 years in the NFL. Jax said he and his brothers were good role players rather than outlier talents, so their father urged them to be the first to arrive and last to leave. Skill and work ethic, he said, have now matched up late in his career.

Raised in Scottsdale, Ariz., Jax moved to Colorado in eighth grade and led Cherry Creek to the Class 5A title as a junior. He was Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year the next season and was drafted by the Phillies in the 12th round, but chose Air Force over offers from schools such as Oklahoma State and North Carolina State. Kazlausky had pitched him on the idea that the academy would teach him who he was as a man. His younger twin brothers, Parker and Carson, also attended Air Force, and all three met their wives there. All six became captains.

The Twins took Jax in the third round, No. 93 overall. He used the military's World Class Athlete Program to meet his active-duty commitment through baseball, a path that opened as baseball was returning to the Olympics. He never made the U.S. Olympic team but pitched for USA Baseball in this year's World Baseball Classic.

His 2021 major league debut with Minnesota went poorly: a 6.37 ERA in 18 games, and the most home runs allowed per nine innings among pitchers with at least 80 innings. Jax reworked his approach, abandoned his windup to pitch only from the stretch, and moved to the bullpen in 2022 with a mid-to-high-90s fastball and a sweeper. In 2024 he posted a 2.03 ERA over 72 appearances with 10 saves.

Minnesota traded him to Tampa Bay at the 2025 deadline in a one-for-one deal for starter Taj Bradley. Jax had a 6.35 ERA in April this year before the Rays, facing rotation injuries, moved him into the rotation after a promising outing as an opener. He said he decided to "listen to the universe" after the idea had been raised repeatedly. His chase percentage of 35.1 ranks in the 89th percentile, aided by a wider mix of pitches that now includes a sinker and changeup.

Jax earns $3.6 million this season, has a final arbitration year in 2027 and becomes a free agent in 2028. His task against the Brewers, who led MLB with 103 wins and are favorites at every major sportsbook, is considerable. He allowed five runs (three earned) without recording an out against Milwaukee on April 1. He said facing them is "almost like we're facing ourselves," and that mental lapses will be punished.

Long term, Jax plans to move his family back to Colorado after his playing career and could see himself coaching at Air Force, calling Kazlausky a strong and consistent mentor.