Bowden Francis’ No-Hit Attempt Falls Short as Blue Jays Lose to Mets

Bowden Francis, the right-handed pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, experienced another setback in his pursuit of a no-hitter during Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets. Despite his impressive performance through seven innings, the Blue Jays ultimately succumbed to a 6-2 defeat.

Francis, who had not allowed a hit to the Mets through the majority of the game, demonstrated skillful control, walking only one batter, striking out another, and hitting two players with pitches. He threw a total of 102 pitches, with 60 finding the strike zone. The Blue Jays held a slim 1-0 lead for most of the game.

The Mets’ Harrison Bader came close to squashing the no-hit effort with a deep drive in the sixth inning, only for the ball to be caught at the wall. Francisco Lindor also came close but was snagged by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who made several key defensive plays, including catching a soft liner from Jose Iglesias. Brandon Nimmo’s hard-hit ball in the fifth inning was also caught by the Blue Jays’ outfield.

Francis’ bid for a no-hitter was ultimately broken in the ninth inning when Taylor Ward hit a homerun, leading off that inning. His earlier achievements in August have not gone unnoticed, having been named the American League Pitcher of the Month, with a record of 4-1 and a 1.05 ERA.

This season has already seen four no-hitters in Major League Baseball. The Chicago Cubs recently achieved a combined no-hitter, joining solo efforts from Houston’s Ronel Blanco, San Diego’s Dylan Cease, and San Francisco’s Blake Snell. The Mets, meanwhile, have been no-hit eight times in their history, with the last instance being by Max Scherzer in 2015.