Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis reacts as he works against the New York Mets during first inning interleague MLB baseball action in Toronto, on Sept. 11.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis wasn’t feeling his best on Wednesday after a poor night’s sleep led to some fatigue and a fastball that was a little short of peak velocity.
You wouldn’t know it by the sterling performance he delivered against the New York Mets.
Francis took a no-hitter in the ninth inning before Francisco Lindor ended his day with a solo homer in an eventual 6-2 Mets victory. It was the second time in the last three weeks that Francis had a no-hit bid ended by the leadoff hitter in the ninth.
“I feel like I had a good plan going in and I just tried to keep trusting it,” Francis said.
The right-hander struck out 12 in a 3-1 win over the L.A. Angels on Aug. 24, when Taylor Ward homered in the ninth inning. Francis fanned just one in Wednesday’s matinee, instead utilizing his pitch mix and working his speeds to induce soft contact and fly-outs.
“It was eerily similar, minus the strikeouts,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
Lindor drove an 0-2 pitch an estimated 398 feet to tie the game. Chad Green (4-6) struggled in relief, walking three batters and giving up run-scoring sacrifice flies to Pete Alonso and Starling Marte.
Francisco Alvarez iced the New York win with a three-run homer off Genesis Cabrera. Danny Young (4-0) recorded one out for the win and Edwin Diaz got one out for his 18th save.
Francis and Dave Stieb – who threw Toronto’s lone no-hitter back in 1990 – are the only pitchers in franchise history to have multiple no-hit bids spoiled in the ninth inning.
“He was on today,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. “He’s been doing that the past few outings. Nothing overpowering but just enough to miss barrels.”
Over his last six starts, Francis is 4-1 with a 1.26 earned-run average. His 0.40 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is the lowest mark over a six-start span in big-league history, the Blue Jays said.
Francis, who has pitched as a regular starter, an opener and a reliever this season, has emerged as a real success story in a forgettable season for the 69-78 Blue Jays.
“I feel like I’m getting my shot now and trying to make the most out of it,” he said. “I’ll just keep on trusting my stuff and trusting the people around me.”
The American League pitcher of the month for August needed only 44 pitches to retire the first 12 Mets batters in order.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the fourth inning against Mets starter Sean Manaea after loading the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk.
Davis Schneider’s slow grounder forced Ernie Clement out at third but plated Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Francis hit Alonso with a pitch in the fifth inning to give New York its first baserunner.
Schneider helped extend the no-hit bid in the sixth with a highlight-reel catch. Harrison Bader pulled the ball to deep left field but Schneider timed his jump perfectly and caught it against the wall.
Manaea allowed three hits, one earned run and four walks while striking out eight over 6⅔ innings.
Francis mixed a splitter in nicely with his fastball and slow curve. After a quick eighth inning, John Schneider felt comfortable sending him back out even though his pitch count was at 108.
“He could have been at 120 after eight, he was going,” he said. “I don’t like to mess with a chance at history.”
With most of the announced crowd of 29,399 on their feet for the top of the ninth, Lindor fell behind in the count before pouncing on a 92-m.p.h. fastball for his 31st homer of the year.
Francis, who issued one walk, threw 68 of his 111 pitches for strikes.
“With that many pitches, I felt like I had to empty the tank with heaters and let him put the ball in play like I was doing all day,” he said.
After Green struggled, Alvarez welcomed Cabrera by launching his first pitch an estimated 439 feet to straightaway centre field for his seventh homer.
The Mets (80-66) moved a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League. The Braves were scheduled to play the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
Bichette rehab
Shortstop Bo Bichette was slated to resume his rehab assignment Thursday for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
Bichette, who has been on the injured list since July 20 due to a calf strain, had a single in three at-bats in a 13-2 loss to Gwinnett on Tuesday night.
“All the reports were that he felt good,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.
If he continues to progress, the Blue Jays hope Bichette could make his return to the big-league level next week.
Silver stars
Canadian beach volleyball player Melissa Humana-Paredes threw the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
She was joined on the mound by teammate Brandie Wilkerson.
Last month in Paris, the Olympic silver medallists became the first Canadian duo to reach a beach volleyball final at the Summer Games.
Coming up
Both teams are off on Thursday.
The Blue Jays will kick off a three-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. The Mets will continue their road trip in Philadelphia.