Blue Jays' Bowden Francis hits MLB historic mark
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Bowden Francis has been arguably the MLB’s best performer through the month of August.
The 28-year-old, who some were surprised to see make the starting rotation at the beginning of the season, has been on an absolute tear over his last four starts. He’s given up just six hits and two runs, with an astounding 32 strikeouts over a combined 29 innings.
As if that weren’t impressive enough, Francis has also set a new record with a WHIP of just 0.31 over those four starts, the lowest ever over any four-start span in the MLB’s modern era.
Unhittable + Extremely Special šļø
Bowden Francisā WHIP over his last four starts: 0.31 ā¼ļø
That's the lowest WHIP over any 4-start span in @MLBās modern era.
Heās allowed just 6 hits while striking out 32 over those starts. pic.twitter.com/vHZ7nFkYY9
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 30, 2024
Last week, Francis flirted with what would have been the second no-hitter in Blue Jays history. He wound up having the bid broken with just three outs remaining, as Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward hit a solo home run to end his night.
Having the no-hitter broken up so late didn’t seem to shake Francis’ spirits, as he was back on the mound yesterday versus the Boston Red Sox and dominated once again. He wound up going seven innings, giving up no runs while striking out five in what ended up being a 2-0 win for the Blue Jays.
Bowden Francis, Dirty 85mph Splitter. āļø
3rd K thru 5….and š¤« (yes, again) pic.twitter.com/jQz0vSVzw6
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 30, 2024
Thanks to this great stretch, Francis has pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Blue Jays’ rotation to begin the 2025 season. Whether he can continue this dominance moving forward remains to be seen, but it’s been a great story that has given fans something to cheer about as the 2024 season winds down.
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