It was a rather eventful baseball game, with Bowden Francis dominating the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday for a 3-1 victory for the Toronto Blue Jays. The 28-year-old became the star of the night, nearly throwing a no-hitter while setting a new career high in strikeouts.
A Dominant Performance
On the mound, Bowden Francis was outstanding, striking out 12 and taking a no-hit bid into the ninth. His dominance of the Angels’ lineup was impressive and indicative of his maturation as a frontline pitcher. Francis himself threw 117 pitches, 84 of them for strikes, an indication of his great control and endurance.
Francis was within an inning of history. He took a no-hit bid into the ninth, which would have been a monumental deal for him and the Toronto Blue Jays. Taylor Ward of the Angels connected for a homer in the ninth to end the no-hit bid. Even with that, Francis’ effort warranted a standing ovation from the 34,011 in attendance at the park.
Though Francis was stealing the limelight, this victory was set in motion by several key contributions from teammates. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a big day at the plate as he added his 27th home run of the season. His lead-off homer in the eighth gave Toronto an insurance run that would prove highly important. Guerrero has been hitting well for the Blue Jays the entire season.
It also included Daulton Varsho and Joey Loperfido. Varsho had a single in the first and moved to third on a throwing error by the Angels’ pitcher. Following the single by Varsho, Guerrero followed with an RBI double to plate him. The double by Loperfido was followed by Guerrero crossing the plate, which put the Blue Jays ahead early.
Toronto Blue Jays Strong Performance
The right-hander Chad Green replaced Francis to set up a save opportunity in the ninth. Green remained perfect and picked up his 14th save in 14 opportunities. He has been such a reliable asset for Toronto in closing situations this season.
The Angels were just up against a very difficult opponent in the Toronto Blue Jays and did not match their performance. In what was otherwise a good performance with eight strikeouts, right-hander Carson Fulmer gave up two runs and seven hits over six innings. Francis proved hard to get past for the Angels’ lineup, which enabled them to score no more runs.
Blue Jays Win Streak
Tacking onto the utter Toronto Blue Jays dominance, this makes their sixth straight win over the Angels. With these strong performances from the team of late, Francis does stand out. The Toronto Blue Jays are in great form as they push toward the end of the season.
Francis put forth the kind of performance the Blue Jays have to see more often if they are to make it far this season. Having the ability to take control of the game, just like he did. His current form—being named American League Player of the Week—shows that he will play a huge part in Toronto’s playoff hopes.
But the real delight came in Bowden Francis’s near-no-hitter and career-high in strikeouts, which finally put a stamp on his rising star status for the Blue Jays. While the no-hit bid was broken in the ninth, the rest of his performance was nothing short of extraordinary. On the back of great teamwork and contributions from up and down the lineup, the Toronto Blue Jays walked away with a victory against the Angels that seemed more than well-deserved. Performances like these will be crucial if the season is to continue going well for the Toronto Blue Jays.
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