Carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning is a remarkable feat for any MLB pitcher. Doing it twice in the span of 18 days is even crazier. Craziest of all, however, is losing both no-hit bids in the exact same fashion.
That is what happened to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis on Wednesday. Francis no-hit the New York Mets for eight innings, but gave up a home run to Francisco Lindor, the very first batter of the ninth inning.
Francisco Lindor breaks up Bowden Francis' no-hitter with a home run in the 9th inning! pic.twitter.com/UqrzymZBOu
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 11, 2024
Giving up a home run to Lindor is a forgivable offense, especially when you’re on 110 pitches in the ninth inning. Amazingly, however, the same thing happened to Francis on Aug. 24. Francis took a no-hitter into the ninth against the Los Angeles Angels, but surrendered a leadoff home run to Taylor Ward to end the effort.
Taylor Ward breaks up the Bowden Francis no-hitter with a home run in the 9th inning pic.twitter.com/FieXowbmH9
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 24, 2024
The similarities largely end there. Francis only struck out one batter on Thursday, a far cry from the 12 strikeouts he tallied when facing the Angels. Plus, Lindor might be a bit more sporting about Francis’ effort than Ward was. Still, the coincidence is hard to believe.
Francis was pulled after the home run Wednesday, and the Toronto bullpen wound up allowing five more runs in what turned into a 6-2 loss.
