Bowden Francis was so close to making history on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
But once again, Francis and the Toronto Blue Jays came up short of pulling off what would’ve been just the second no-hitter in franchise history.
Francis threw eight perfect innings on Saturday in their 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels. He entered the ninth inning in Toronto with 12 strikeouts and just three walks on a career-high 112 pitches, marking what was by far his best outing on the mound in his career. He was just three outs away from completing the first no-hitter in Blue Jays history since 1990.
But Angels left fielder Taylor Ward ended that no-no bid immediately in the ninth with a solo home run. While it wasn’t enough to push them to the win, it saved the Angels from being on the wrong side of a no-hitter for the first time in decades. The Angels haven’t been no-hit since 1999, which is the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.
The Blue Jays quickly pulled Francis from the game after the home run, and he walked off the mound to a huge ovation. Reliever Chad Green then ended the inning to seal the two-run win.
Toronto’s only no-hitter came from Dave Stieb, who pulled off that feat against Cleveland in 1990. That came after he lost a perfect game and two no-hitters in the ninth inning in preceding years. The Blue Jays have been close several times since then, most recently in 2010 when Brandon Morrow was just an out away in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. But a hit from Evan Longoria broke that one up, too.
So, with Francis’ historic bid ending early, the Blue Jays are still waiting for their first no-hitter in decades. The Blue Jays are one of just three teams with only a single no-hitter in their existence, along with the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays.
Francis entered Saturday’s game with a 6-3 record in 21 games this season, his third with the team. He holds a 4.38 ERA in more than 63 innings on the mound. His no-hitter would have been the fourth of the season across the league.
Though the no-hitter was stopped, Toronto had no issue getting past the Angels on Saturday. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI double in the first inning to put the Blue Jays on the board right away, and then he was hit in by Joey Loperfido. Guerrero then hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to put them up by three.
The win marked the fifth in the Blue Jays’ last seven games and their third straight over the Angels. Toronto now holds a 62-68 record on the season, which still has them in last in the AL East standings. The Angels, on the other hand, have a 54-76 record and have lost seven of their last eight. They have the second-worst record in the American League, ahead of only the Chicago White Sox.
