Bowden Francis lost his chance to achieve the second no-hitter in Blue Jays history when Taylor Ward hit a leadoff home run for the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning on Saturday.
Francis walked three batters, hit another, and struck out a career-high 12. He threw a career-high 117 pitches, with 84 of them being strikes.
The crowd of 34,011 gave Francis a standing ovation when he was taken out of the game and replaced by right-hander Chad Green after Ward’s 17th homer.
Francis, who was named American League Player of the Week last week for his 2-0 record and 0.64 ERA in two starts, had previously pitched seven innings in a road win against the Angels on August 12.
The Blue Jays went on to win the game 3-1.
