James Alston Paxton (born November 6, 1988), nicknamed "Big Maple", is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

[4][5] In his junior year, Paxton won 10 games and had a 1.51 earned run average (ERA) to go along with 100 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched.

[7] He sued the NCAA in an attempt to be reinstated, but lost the lawsuit in January 2010, and withdrew from school, one semester shy of graduation.

[6] After being ruled ineligible to return to Kentucky, Paxton signed with the Grand Prairie AirHogs in the independent American Association in 2010.

[3][9] He finished with a combined 6–3 win–loss record, 2.37 ERA, 131 strikeouts, and 43 walks in 95 innings pitched, while allowing an opposing batting average of .215 in 17 games.

[3][12] Paxton was invited to attend the Mariners' main spring training camp in 2012, but did not make the opening day roster and returned to Jackson,[3] where he made 21 starts with a 9–4 record and 3.64 ERA.

[9] He worked with the coaching staff to change his pitching mechanics to mirror that of Clayton Kershaw, resulting in an improvement in his performance.

[22] Paxton's injury woes would continue into the 2015 season, as he hurt himself during agility drills in spring training[23] and then was shut down on May 29 with a strained tendon on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

[22] In 2016, Paxton had a poor spring training, allowing five home runs and a 10.80 ERA in 15 innings, causing him to be optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to begin the season.

[36] He returned on September 15[37] and finished the season with a 12–5 record and 2.98 ERA in 24 starts[22] while tying for the major league lead in wild pitches, with 15.

He threw 99 pitches while issuing three walks in a 5–0 victory, becoming the second Canadian to throw a no-hitter (the first was Dick Fowler of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1945).

[22] On November 19, 2018, the Mariners traded Paxton to the New York Yankees for Justus Sheffield, Dom Thompson-Williams, and Erik Swanson.

[22] On February 5, 2020, Paxton underwent spinal surgery[43] but due to the season being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic[44] made it back for opening day.

[49][50] In his first start of the season on April 6 against the Chicago White Sox, Paxton threw only 24 pitches before being removed from the game with left elbow discomfort.

[52][53] On December 1, 2021, Paxton signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Boston Red Sox that included a two-year club option.

[66] On January 29, 2024, Paxton signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, that also contained performance bonuses based on number of starts.

[72] On August 23, Paxton was moved to the 60-day injured list, and was expected to miss the rest of the season due to the calf injury, which was reclassified as a partial tear.

[74] A power pitcher with a long stride and a 3⁄4 release from a closed position that hides most of his deliveries, comparable to a faster version of Andy Petitte, Paxton relies on a four-seam fastball that ranges in velocities in the high 90s miles per hour (MPH).

His increased usage of knuckle curves on the first pitch of at bats limited the number of hits and runs that he allowed during the end of the 2019 season.