Ward on Francis after near no-hitter: 'I thought everything was hittable'
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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward broke up Bowden Francis' no-hit bid to lead off the ninth inning Saturday, preventing Francis from throwing just the second no-hitter in Blue Jays history.
While Francis struck out 12 and allowed just the one hit in 8-plus innings of work, the Angels outfielder said after the game he didn't think his stuff was anything too remarkable.
“I thought everything was hittable,” Ward told reporters after the 3-1 loss. “Maybe to other guys he made better pitches. Other guys were talking about his split and that being on, but I didn’t think it was anything special.”
On Sunday, Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt appeared to poke fun at Ward's perception, holding up a sign that read "15 innings 2 hits 20 K's hittable + not special" as Francis was interviewed on the Blue Jays' telecast.
Ward added his home run was a "big relief," saying he's never been in the lineup on the wrong side of a no-hitter before. The Angels have not been no-hit since Sept. 11, 1999, which is the longest streak in the majors for any team.
Saturday was the second time in the last month Francis has stymied the Halos as he also held them to just one hit over seven innings of work in Anaheim on Aug. 12. Ward was 0-for-3 in that game, striking out against Francis in the fourth inning.
Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe took a different tune after Saturday's near no-no, saying Francis' outing was exceptional.
“He was in a groove all day,” he told reporters. “It seemed like he was flowing from pitch one. I didn’t feel rushed in the box, but you just feel like he was comfortable and he was settling in. He made some really good pitches. The split was really good.”
“We all know that at the beginning of the season, things weren’t going his way. The last four or five outings, he’s been incredible. Today was unbelievable," Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said via an interpreter.
Francis' latest outing a continuing trend
Coming into Saturday off back-to-back stellar outings that earned Francis American League Player of the Week honours, Francis' close call with history lowered his season ERA to 4.02, an impressive mark considering he started the season by allowing 12 earned runs in his first 8.1 innings.
The 28-year-old is 7-3 in 2024 and has 70 strikeouts in 71.1. innings pitched. His big league ERA stands at 3.23 in 43 games spread out over three seasons.
The Blue Jays will wrap up their series with the Angels Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre, sending Kevin Gausman to the hill against lefty Tyler Anderson.