Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Bowden Francis has flirted with MLB history twice now in the span of his last four outings. Sadly, he's come up short in both instances.
On Wednesday, Francis was tossing a gem against the New York Mets, who he held hitless throughout eight innings of work. In the ninth inning, all of his hard work was undone after he surrendered a solo shot to star shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Not only did he concede both his first hit and run of the game, but he also lost the chance to earn a decision from Wednesday's game, as Lindor's solo home run tied the game at 1–1.
Francisco Lindor breaks up Bowden Francis' no-hitter AND ties the game 😳
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 11, 2024
It's the second time he's lost a no-hitter in the 9th inning in his last four starts.
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/eP2uSZhMlQ
To make matters worse, this isn't the first time Francis has lost a no-hit bid late into a ball game in the past month. Less than three weeks ago, during an Aug. 24 start against the Los Angeles Angels, Francis carried a no-hit bid into the top of the ninth inning. The first batter of the inning, Taylor Ward, broke it up with a solo home run.
Talk about a painful déjà vu moment for the 28-year-old.
In Wednesday's game against the Mets, the wheels completely fell off for the Blue Jays after Francis's no-hit bid went by the wayside. He was replaced Chad Green who proceeded to surrender four runs on one hit and three walks, surrendering a three-run jack to Francisco Alvarez. New York would go on to win 6–2.
There has only ever been one no-hitter thrown in Toronto's franchise history, as Dave Stieb tossed one in 1990. Francis has come to the edge of no-hit territory twice in his past four outings, but unfortunately couldn't clutch up and get the job done.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Déjà Vu: Blue Jays' Bowden Francis Loses Another No-Hit Bid in Ninth Inning.
