After recent updates from the Toronto Blue Jays and their scorching-hot Bowden Francis against the Boston Red Sox, the young man worked out a tremendous outing for the last appearance of the 2024 season. Francis also nearly dominated form and threw through 5.0 scoreless innings, with the Toronto Blue Jays getting on top 3-0 at one point. Such a game was far from another ordinary trip for him but was a landmark in his career and MLB history. Let’s break it down to understand how Francis achieved such success, what factors were behind his dominance, and what this means for the future of the Toronto Blue Jays.
A Historic Performance
Confronted by the Red Sox, Francis was out there with much swagger. He allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out 4. A basic determinant of progressing pitching was his control in the early innings, though the bullpen fell apart later in this 6-5 loss for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The numbers he threw in the second half make Francis’s outing even more impressive. What is astonishing is that after the All-Star break, he kept a WHIP of only 0.600. This now stands as a record low for any pitcher in MLB history who has pitched at least 50 innings into the second half. Francis’s record was held by Tom Morgan, who had a WHIP of 0.691 in 1961. Francis puts the guys in a class all of his own, so it seems fairly apparent that Francis has been a lord on the mound.
A Starter Emerges
Francis never even started the season as part of the starting rotation. He was sent to the bullpen in April and even landed on the injured list. Everything changed, though, when he was called out of the bullpen late in July to start a doubleheader. Out of this unexpected turn of events came a new career chapter for him. From this point forward, he was also the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff: he gave up 30 hits over his next ten starts, two of which approached no-hitters.
To put Francis’s achievements in perspective, few pitchers in baseball history have recorded such success in such a short time. The small clutch of Hall of Famers, which includes Jacob deGrom and Nolan Ryan, gives his performance even more depth. Toronto Blue Jays fans can be justifiably excited at what Francis has in store for the future.
A Story of Redemption
At one stage in the season, Francis had a 5.82 ERA and seemed to be staring in the face of disaster. But then, dramatically within the latter stages of the season, he justifiably improved to finish with 1.80 ERA. This simply goes on to show that all this was for all the hard work and perseverance he put into it. He has sealed his place in the starting rotation for the Toronto Blue Jays within the 2025 season.
Going into the close of the 2024 season, Bowden Francis will be in a very tall order, especially with this kind of performance from him. His history gives Toronto Blue Jays fans something to look forward to: can he continue to perform at this level off-season and well into next season? Once again, his reliability as a starter for the team could prove to be valuable come next season as the team continues on a quest for a playoff run.
Much-needed good news for the Toronto Blue Jays is how Bowden Francis closed out the 2024 season. Its historic milestones and recent display of form remind everyone that he’s going to form the nucleus of a strong side going ahead. Fans can look back at this season with some comfort knowing there’s now a new star on the horizon and, ahead of them, is Bowden Francis, whose leadership will spearhead the future of the franchise.
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