The Unhittable Mr. Francis

August’s AL Pitcher of the Month was the Blue Jays’ Bowden Francis. If you’ve never heard of him, you’re not alone. Despite that lack of notoriety, Francis, whose career totals prior to August included just 81⅓ IP and four starts, has turned in two of the more remarkable months of pitching of the modern era. More after the jump.

Francis’s season hardly began like one in which he was likely to be named Pitcher of the Month. Prior to this season Francis had pitched only 37 innings, all in relief, yet found himself in the starting rotation as the season began. That experiment was short and painful, with Francis demoted to the pen after two horrific outings, and then back to the minors before April was done. He returned to the Blue Jays in June and made 11 appearances, 10 in relief, with a 4.13 ERA, hardly suggesting what was to happen next.

When Toronto dealt Yusei Kikuchi to the Astros at the trade deadline, Francis returned to the rotation. Beginning with his second start in August, Francis ran off this string of 7 starts.

Rk Gcar Gtm Date Tm   Opp Rslt Inngs Dec DR IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP BF Pit Str StL StS GB FB LD PU Unk GSc SB CS 2B 3B GDP SF ROE WPA RE24 Entered Exited
20 41 120 Aug 12 TOR @ LAA W,4-2 GS-7 W(5-3) 4 7.0 1 1 1 0 8 1 0 22 81 57 16 9 6 8 0 1 0 79 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.290 2.52 1b start tie 7b 3 out a3
21 42 125 Aug 18 TOR @ CHC W,1-0 GS-7 W(6-3) 5 7.0 3 0 0 0 7 0 0 25 95 71 16 13 8 10 1 3 0 78 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.497 3.49 1b start tie 7b 3 out a1
22 43 131 Aug 24 TOR   LAA W,3-1 GS-9 W(7-3) 5 8.0 1 1 1 3 12 1 1 28 117 84 20 15 4 8 1 1 0 85 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.426 2.87 1t start tie 9t — 0 out a2
23 44 136 Aug 29 TOR @ BOS W,2-0 GS-7 W(8-3) 4 7.0 1 0 0 0 5 0 0 22 70 51 15 6 3 14 3 4 0 80 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.462 3.63 1b start tie 7b 3 out a2
24 45 141 Sep 4 TOR   PHI L,2-4 GS-6 L(8-4) 5 6.0 6 3 3 0 6 2 1 24 89 61 11 14 10 7 1 1 0 54 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 -0.030 -0.11 1t start tie 6t 3 out d1
25 46 147 Sep 11 TOR   NYM L,2-6 GS-9   6 8.0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 28 111 68 11 9 5 19 5 6 0 76 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.228 2.85 1t start tie 9t — 0 out tie
26 47 152 Sep 18 TOR @ TEX L,0-2 GS-6 L(8-5) 6 6.0 5 2 2 1 6 1 1 25 100 65 18 9 3 14 7 0 0 59 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.021 0.85 1b start tie 6b 3 out d2
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/25/2024.

The totals are 49 IP with a 1.47 ERA, allowing only 18 hits and 5 walks, and holding hitters to a .110 BA and .161 OBP. Included were two games in which Francis took a no-hitter into the 9th inning. So you may be thinking “Okay, he was on a hot streak, but lots of pitchers have hot streaks, so what’s the big deal?” to which the response is that Francis’s hot streak is historically good, among the top 10 of the modern era for fewest hits and baserunners allowed.

Here’s where Francis ranks in the modern era for fewest hits allowed while averaging 7+ IP over spans of different lengths. I invite you to click on the links to see the company Francis is keeping, but suggest you open the links in new tabs and be patient as the queries may take a minute or more to return a result. Note that the two ranks shown are for all spans of the indicated length (potentially including overlapping spans for the same pitcher), and for the same but with overlapping spans removed.

Here are the top 10 streaks for fewest hits over 7 games and 49+ IP (the gaps in the rank numbers indicate overlapping streaks that I’ve removed).

Rk Player Team Span Started Span Ended H IP W L GS SV BSv CG SHO GF IP Dec W-L% ERA H R ER UER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF BR Ind. Games Link
1 Johan Santana MIN 2004-07-01 2004-08-01 16 54.0 4 2 7 0 0 1 1 0 54.0 6 .667 1.33 16 10 8 2 6 16 0 73 3 0 3 193 36 Games List
2 Bowden Francis TOR 2024-08-12 2024-09-18 18 49.0 4 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 49.0 6 .667 1.47 18 8 8 0 6 5 0 45 5 0 0 174 29 Games List
3 Justin Verlander HOU 2019-04-19 2019-05-21 18 49.1 6 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 49.1 7 .857 1.64 18 9 9 0 8 11 0 59 1 0 0 178 31 Games List
5 Whitey Ford NYY 1955-08-19 1955-09-11 (2) 19 53.1 4 1 6 1 0 5 1 1 53.1 5 .800 1.18 19 9 7 2 4 27 3 30 0 0 2 201 47 Games List
6 Ferdie Schupp NYG 1916-09-05 1916-09-28 (2) 19 56.0 6 0 6 0 0 6 4 1 56.0 6 1.000 0.32 19 4 2 2 1 10 0 26 1 0 0 194 33 Games List
8 Ed Reulbach CHC 1906-08-17 1906-09-14 19 52.1 6 0 6 0 5 3 1 52.1 6 1.000 0.00 19 2 0 0 0 11 29 4 0 0 184 34 Games List
14 Randy Johnson ARI 2004-04-16 2004-05-18 20 50.0 4 3 7 0 0 2 2 0 50.0 7 .571 1.62 20 12 9 3 3 9 0 68 2 0 1 181 33 Games List
15 Mario Soto CIN 1984-05-02 1984-06-06 20 51.0 5 0 7 0 0 4 0 0 51.0 5 1.000 1.94 20 12 11 1 6 18 0 48 0 0 2 189 42 Games List
16 Ewell Blackwell CIN 1950-08-28 1950-09-20 (1) 20 53.1 4 2 6 1 0 6 1 1 53.1 6 .667 1.18 20 10 7 3 1 25 1 36 3 0 1 205 52 Games List
17 Claude Hendrix CHI 1914-08-31 (2) 1914-09-15 20 50.0 5 0 5 0 4 2 2 50.0 5 1.000 0.36 20 6 2 4 0 10 0 23 0 0 1 178 30 Games List
18 Rube Marquard NYG 1911-08-14 (1) 1911-09-02 20 50.1 5 0 6 1 5 2 1 50.1 5 1.000 0.36 20 8 2 0 0 13 0 53 1 0 0 186 34 Games List
19 Jimmy Dygert PHA 1907-09-12 1907-10-03 20 49.0 6 0 6 0 5 2 1 49.0 6 1.000 0.00 20 7 0 0 0 11 38 3 0 0 164 34 Games List
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 9/25/2024.

For fewest baserunners allowed, the results are even sightly better, again while averaging 7+ IP over:

Here are the top 10 streaks for fewest baseruneers over 7 games and 49+ IP, again with overlapping streaks removed.

Rk Player Team Span Started Span Ended BR IP W L GS SV BSv CG SHO GF IP Dec W-L% ERA H R ER UER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF BR Ind. Games Link
1 Eddie Plank SLB 1916-07-17 1916-08-17 (1) 28 49.1 4 2 6 1 4 2 1 49.1 6 .667 1.09 21 9 6 3 2 6 17 1 0 0 175 28 Games List
2 Bowden Francis TOR 2024-08-12 2024-09-18 29 49.0 4 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 49.0 6 .667 1.47 18 8 8 0 6 5 0 45 5 0 0 174 29 Games List
3 Christy Mathewson NYG 1909-08-21 1909-09-11 (1) 29 49.0 5 1 6 1 5 3 1 49.0 6 .833 0.00 28 10 0 0 0 1 26 0 0 1 171 29 Games List
4 Justin Verlander HOU 2019-08-16 2019-09-17 30 49.1 4 2 7 0 0 2 1 0 49.1 6 .667 1.46 23 8 8 0 5 6 0 66 1 0 0 173 30 Games List
5 Claude Hendrix CHI 1914-08-31 (2) 1914-09-15 30 50.0 5 0 5 0 4 2 2 50.0 5 1.000 0.36 20 6 2 4 0 10 0 23 0 0 1 178 30 Games List
6 Ed Walsh CHW 1910-08-04 1910-08-23 30 50.2 3 1 5 2 4 4 2 50.2 4 .750 0.00 22 6 0 0 0 8 49 0 1 1 184 30 Games List
7 Gerrit Cole HOU 2019-08-22 2019-09-24 31 50.2 5 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 50.2 5 1.000 1.42 24 9 8 1 4 7 0 90 0 2 3 181 31 Games List
8 Justin Verlander HOU 2019-04-19 2019-05-21 31 49.1 6 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 49.1 7 .857 1.64 18 9 9 0 8 11 0 59 1 0 0 178 31 Games List
10 Clayton Kershaw LAD 2016-05-01 2016-06-04 31 55.2 6 0 7 0 0 3 3 0 55.2 6 1.000 0.81 27 5 5 0 1 3 0 69 1 3 0 191 31 Games List
11 Jake Arrieta CHC 2015-08-30 2015-10-02 31 55.0 6 0 7 0 0 2 2 0 55.0 6 1.000 0.33 22 3 2 1 1 5 0 58 1 0 1 190 31 Games List
14 Christy Mathewson NYG 1909-06-23 (2) 1909-07-16 31 49.0 6 0 6 0 3 1 1 49.0 6 1.000 0.00 26 6 0 0 1 5 26 0 0 1 172 31 Games List
15 Ed Walsh CHW 1908-09-21 1908-10-03 31 55.2 4 2 6 1 6 3 1 55.2 6 .667 0.00 26 4 0 0 0 3 51 2 0 1 192 31 Games List
16 Christy Mathewson NYG 1908-05-29 1908-06-23 (1) 31 55.0 5 1 6 1 6 3 1 55.0 6 .833 0.00 25 8 0 0 1 5 44 1 0 0 199 31 Games List
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 9/25/2024.

Obviously, Francis’s totals must be considered in terms of the innings he pitched, and pitchers in years past will have averaged considerably more than 7 IP per outing (or may be missing from these lists for that reason). Consider that caveat in how you choose to interpret these results.

For context, there have been 957 pitchers who recorded at least one season of the past twenty (since 2005) with 10 or more starts. Of these, only 254 (37%) recorded one or more spans of 7 games in which they averaged 7+ IP. That number, though, has declined dramatically during this period as shown below, to the point where fewer than 5% of pitchers since 2020 have recorded such a span in a season of 10+ starts.

Of note are the 69 pitchers who recorded such a span in 2005, one more than all of the pitchers who have done so over the past eight seasons.

So, where did pitching like this come from? Actually, there were indicators of what was possible in Francis’s 2023 rookie season in which he posted a stellar 0.826 WHIP, the 12th lowest mark among rookie relievers in 30+ IP seasons with 200+ ERA+.

Rk Player WHIP ERA+ Place Season Age Team Lg W L W-L% Dec ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/BB Pos
1 Neftalí Feliz 0.677 269   2009 21 TEX AL 1 0 1.000 1 1.74 20 0 0 0 2 31.0 13 6 6 2 8 0 39 3 0 0 117 269 2.48 0.677 3.8 0.6 2.3 11.3 4.88  
2 Aaron Sanchez 0.697 351   2014 21 TOR AL 2 2 .500 4 1.09 24 0 0 0 3 33.0 14 5 4 1 9 0 27 1 0 1 121 351 2.80 0.697 3.8 0.3 2.5 7.4 3.00 1
3 Sergio Romo 0.706 209   2008 25 SFG NL 3 1 .750 4 2.12 29 0 0 0 0 34.0 16 13 8 3 8 1 33 3 0 0 130 209 3.31 0.706 4.2 0.8 2.1 8.7 4.13 1
4 Cla Meredith 0.711 382   2006 23 SDP NL 5 1 .833 6 1.07 45 0 0 0 0 50.2 30 6 6 3 6 3 37 2 2 0 185 382 2.93 0.711 5.3 0.5 1.1 6.6 6.17 1
5 Bryan Hudson 0.722 241   2024 27 MIL NL 6 1 .857 7 1.73 43 0 0 0 0 62.1 28 12 12 7 17 0 62 3 1 1 231 241 3.60 0.722 4.0 1.0 2.5 9.0 3.65  
6 Ryan Brasier 0.772 277   2018 30 BOS AL 2 0 1.000 2 1.60 34 0 0 0 0 33.2 19 6 6 2 7 0 29 0 0 1 124 277 2.83 0.772 5.1 0.5 1.9 7.8 4.14 1
7 Jonathan Papelbon 0.776 517 ROY-2 2006 25 BOS AL 4 2 .667 6 0.92 59 0 0 0 35 68.1 40 8 7 3 13 2 75 1 0 2 257 517 2.14 0.776 5.3 0.4 1.7 9.9 5.77 1
8 Dellin Betances 0.778 274 ROY-3 2014 26 NYY AL 5 0 1.000 5 1.40 70 0 0 0 1 90.0 46 15 14 4 24 1 135 4 1 2 341 274 1.64 0.778 4.6 0.4 2.4 13.5 5.63 1
9 Pat Neshek 0.784 206   2006 25 MIN AL 4 2 .667 6 2.19 32 0 0 0 0 37.0 23 9 9 6 6 0 53 0 0 0 138 206 2.88 0.784 5.6 1.5 1.5 12.9 8.83  
10 Ken Giles 0.788 319 ROY-4 2014 23 PHI NL 3 1 .750 4 1.18 44 0 0 0 1 45.2 25 7 6 1 11 1 64 0 0 1 166 319 1.34 0.788 4.9 0.2 2.2 12.6 5.82 1
11 Rafael Soriano 0.792 283   2003 23 SEA AL 3 0 1.000 3 1.53 40 0 0 0 1 53.0 30 9 9 2 12 1 68 3 0 0 201 283 1.80 0.792 5.1 0.3 2.0 11.5 5.67 1
12 Bowden Francis 0.826 249   2023 27 TOR AL 1 0 1.000 1 1.73 20 0 0 0 1 36.1 22 7 7 5 8 0 35 1 2 1 136 249 3.86 0.826 5.4 1.2 2.0 8.7 4.38  
13 Caleb Thielbar 0.826 233   2013 26 MIN AL 3 2 .600 5 1.76 49 0 0 0 0 46.0 24 11 9 4 14 4 39 0 0 1 171 233 3.40 0.826 4.7 0.8 2.7 7.6 2.79 1
14 Joey Devine 0.832 698 ROY-6 2008 24 OAK AL 6 1 .857 7 0.59 42 0 0 0 1 45.2 23 7 3 0 15 2 49 0 0 0 170 698 1.97 0.832 4.5 0.0 3.0 9.7 3.27 1
15 Jeff Zimmerman 0.833 215 ROY-3 1999 26 TEX AL 9 3 .750 12 2.36 65 0 0 0 3 87.2 50 24 23 9 23 1 67 2 0 2 336 215 3.80 0.833 5.1 0.9 2.4 6.9 2.91 1
16 Doug Henry 0.833 406 ROY-8 1991 27 MIL AL 2 1 .667 3 1.00 32 0 0 0 15 36.0 16 4 4 1 14 1 28 0 0 0 137 406 2.83 0.833 4.0 0.3 3.5 7.0 2.00 1
17 Troy Percival 0.851 241 ROY-4 1995 25 CAL AL 3 2 .600 5 1.95 62 0 0 0 3 74.0 37 19 16 6 26 2 94 1 2 2 284 241 2.71 0.851 4.5 0.7 3.2 11.4 3.62  
18 Mychal Givens 0.867 230   2015 25 BAL AL 2 0 1.000 2 1.80 22 0 0 0 0 30.0 20 7 6 1 6 0 38 1 0 0 117 230 1.73 0.867 6.0 0.3 1.8 11.4 6.33 1
19 Tyler Holton 0.867 206   2023 27 DET AL 3 2 .600 5 2.11 59 1 0 0 1 85.1 56 21 20 9 18 1 74 1 0 4 324 206 3.56 0.867 5.9 0.9 1.9 7.8 4.11  
20 Andrew Bailey 0.876 239 ROY-1 2009 25 OAK AL 6 3 .667 9 1.84 68 0 0 0 26 83.1 49 17 17 5 24 3 91 0 0 6 323 239 2.56 0.876 5.3 0.5 2.6 9.8 3.79 1
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 9/24/2024.

That rookie campaign and Francis’s record run of games this season has allowed him to become the first pitcher in more than a century with a chance to allow fewer baserunners than innings pitched (minimum 125 IP) over the first 50 games of a career.

Rk Player IP BR From To W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER UER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF BR
1 Bowden Francis 140.2 138 2022 2024 9 5 .643 2.88 48 13 19 0 0 1 140.2 97 48 45 3 22 30 0 128 8 3 1 547 138
2 Frank Arellanes 294.1 294 1908 1909 20 11 .645 0.00 50 34 16 23 2 7 294.1 235 85 0 0 3 52   110 7 0 5 1144 294
3 George McQuillan 373.2 361 1907 1908 26 14 .650 0.00 50 43 7 34 10 3 373.2 265 78 0 0 1 89   131 7 0 6 1430 361
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 9/25/2024.

As Francis still has two games to go to reach 50, we will have to wait until next year to see if he joins the other two. Speaking of which, you may have noticed the missing earned and unearned run data for Arellanes and McQuillan, and for some of the pitchers in the preceding lists. I believe Stathead validates the box score data by comparison to the play-by-play data. As there are no play-by-play data prior to 1912, the earned and unearned run totals and related calculations are not shown in queries of game level data.

Francis has also recorded the lowest WHIP in 100+ IP over the first three seasons of a career among pitchers who relieved in fewer than 80% of their games.

Rk Player WHIP GR G From To Age W L W-L% Dec ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/BB GF GR Pos Team
1 Bowden Francis 0.903 35 48 2022 2024 26-28 9 5 .643 14 2.88 48 13 0 0 1 140.2 97 48 45 22 30 0 128 8 3 1 547 143 4.21 0.903 6.2 1.4 1.9 8.2 4.27 19 35   TOR
2 Paul Skenes 0.962 0 22 2024 2024 22 11 3 .786 14 1.99 22 22 0 0 0 131.0 94 31 29 10 32 0 167 6 1 2 508 213 2.48 0.962 6.5 0.7 2.2 11.5 5.22 0 0   PIT
3 Dick Hughes 0.967 34 68 1966 1968 28-30 20 9 .690 29 2.79 68 34 13 4 8 307.0 221 101 95 29 76 12 230 7 2 8 1205 116 3.05 0.967 6.5 0.9 2.2 6.7 3.03 17 34 1/H STL
4 Elmer Steele 0.976 14 36 1907 1909 23-25 9 12 .429 21 2.20 36 22 11 1 1 205.0 171 78 50 2 29   79 4 2 1 777 114 1.99 0.976 7.5 0.1 1.3 3.5 2.72 11 14 1 BOS
5 George McQuillan 0.990 20 95 1907 1909 22-24 40 33 .548 73 1.71 95 75 53 14 4 648.1 486 178 123 6 156   238 8 0 9 2484 144 2.30 0.990 6.7 0.1 2.2 3.3 1.53 18 20 1 PHI
6 Matt Harvey 1.000 0 65 2012 2015 23-26 25 18 .581 43 2.53 65 65 1 1 0 427.0 333 127 120 30 94 3 449 12 0 9 1690 146 2.65 1.000 7.0 0.6 2.0 9.5 4.78 0 0 1/H NYM
7 Vida Blue 1.008 8 57 1969 1971 19-21 27 9 .750 36 2.36 57 49 26 10 1 392.2 278 119 103 32 118 4 360 5 1 11 1545 143 2.64 1.008 6.4 0.7 2.7 8.3 3.05 1 8 1 OAK
8 José Fernández 1.014 0 47 2013 2015 20-22 22 9 .710 31 2.40 47 47 0 0 0 289.0 208 87 77 18 85 6 336 7 2 7 1151 160 2.52 1.014 6.5 0.6 2.6 10.5 3.95 0 0 1 MIA
9 Ed Reulbach 1.016 19 94 1905 1907 22-24 54 22 .711 76 1.56 94 75 64 15 4 701.2 484 170 122 4 229   342 40 2 10 2715 174 2.63 1.016 6.2 0.1 2.9 4.4 1.49 19 19 1/H9 CHC
10 Addie Joss 1.018 5 89 1902 1904 22-24 49 36 .576 85 2.25 89 84 79 13 0 745.1 617 276 186 5 142   309 29 1 13 2904 134 2.58 1.018 7.5 0.1 1.7 3.7 2.18 4 5 1/3H CLE
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 9/25/2024.

Admittedly, Francis falls just below that 80% relief games threshold. For a more apples to apples comparison, here are the lowest WHIP in 100+ IP over the first three seasons of a career with 20% or more of games as starter and 60% or more in relief.

Rk Player WHIP GR G GS From To Age W L W-L% Dec ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/BB GF GR Pos Team
1 Bowden Francis 0.903 35 48 13 2022 2024 26-28 9 5 .643 14 2.88 48 13 0 0 1 140.2 97 48 45 22 30 0 128 8 3 1 547 143 4.21 0.903 6.2 1.4 1.9 8.2 4.27 19 35   TOR
2 Mellie Wolfgang 1.080 41 68 27 1914 1916 24-26 15 13 .536 28 1.92 68 27 15 3 0 300.0 238 99 64 2 86   107 3 0 3 1164 145 2.64 1.080 7.1 0.1 2.6 3.2 1.24 32 41 1/5H CHW
3 Billy O’Dell 1.081 28 46 18 1954 1957 21-24 5 11 .313 16 2.62 46 18 3 1 4 164.2 128 56 48 12 50 3 109 5 0 0 661 137 3.07 1.081 7.0 0.7 2.7 6.0 2.18 12 28 1/H BAL
4 Jeff Heathcock 1.094 27 39 12 1983 1987 23-27 9 4 .692 13 3.26 39 12 1 0 3 127.0 113 54 46 14 26 1 52 3 2 3 511 111 4.06 1.094 8.0 1.0 1.8 3.7 2.00 9 27 1 HOU
5 Alexi Ogando 1.102 103 133 30 2010 2012 26-28 19 9 .679 28 3.12 133 30 1 1 3 276.2 229 105 96 27 76 3 231 10 0 13 1127 142 3.58 1.102 7.4 0.9 2.5 7.5 3.04 25 103 1 TEX
6 Tanner Houck 1.123 33 53 20 2020 2022 24-26 9 9 .500 18 3.02 53 20 0 0 9 146.0 112 56 49 8 52 4 164 13 0 7 595 150 2.95 1.123 6.9 0.5 3.2 10.1 3.15 16 33 1 BOS
7 Chris Sale 1.125 80 109 29 2010 2012 21-23 21 11 .656 32 2.89 109 29 1 0 12 286.1 234 93 92 27 88 8 303 8 0 9 1152 148 3.19 1.125 7.4 0.8 2.8 9.5 3.44 25 80 1 CHW
8 Óscar Tuero 1.137 39 58 19 1918 1920 24-26 6 9 .400 15 2.88 58 19 6 0 4 199.2 174 87 64 4 53   58 13 1 6 812 98 3.10 1.137 7.8 0.2 2.4 2.6 1.09 28 39 1/H STL
9 Ryan Yarbrough 1.152 48 77 29 2018 2020 26-28 28 16 .636 44 3.94 77 29 0 0 0 344.2 315 161 151 38 82 9 289 24 1 3 1425 107 3.87 1.152 8.2 1.0 2.1 7.5 3.52 4 48 1 TBR
10 Pedro Martínez 1.155 65 91 26 1992 1994 20-22 21 11 .656 32 3.05 91 26 1 1 3 259.2 197 94 88 16 103 7 269 15 1 9 1059 133 3.15 1.155 6.8 0.6 3.6 9.3 2.61 22 65 1 LAD,MON
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 9/25/2024.

If there’s a chink in Francis’s armor, it would have to be the long ball that was his undoing in his two no-hit bids. Francis’s 1.4 HR/9 leads all pitchers with 20% starts and 60% relief outings in 100+ IP with 120+ ERA+ over the first three seasons of a career.

Rk Player HR9 GS G GR ERA+ From To Age W L W-L% Dec ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/BB GF GR Pos Team
1 Bowden Francis 1.4 13 48 35 143 2022 2024 26-28 9 5 .643 14 2.88 48 13 0 0 1 140.2 97 48 45 22 30 0 128 8 3 1 547 143 4.21 0.903 6.2 1.4 1.9 8.2 4.27 19 35 TOR
2 Héctor Santiago 1.1 27 78 51 124 2011 2013 23-25 8 10 .444 18 3.41 78 27 0 0 4 224.2 192 95 85 27 113 4 218 22 2 8 980 124 4.49 1.358 7.7 1.1 4.5 8.7 1.93 24 51 1 CHW
3 Drew Smyly 0.9 43 114 71 124 2012 2014 23-25 19 13 .594 32 3.26 114 43 1 1 2 328.1 291 126 119 34 92 4 308 4 0 16 1337 124 3.45 1.166 8.0 0.9 2.5 8.4 3.35 9 71 1 DET,TBR
4 Dave DeBusschere 0.9 10 36 26 124 1962 1963 21-22 3 4 .429 7 2.90 36 10 1 1 0 102.1 85 42 33 10 57 2 61 5 0 8 447 124 4.40 1.388 7.5 0.9 5.0 5.4 1.07 12 26 1 CHW
5 Alexi Ogando 0.9 30 133 103 142 2010 2012 26-28 19 9 .679 28 3.12 133 30 1 1 3 276.2 229 105 96 27 76 3 231 10 0 13 1127 142 3.58 1.102 7.4 0.9 2.5 7.5 3.04 25 103 1 TEX
6 Jim Konstanty 0.8 13 36 23 121 1944 1948 27-31 7 5 .583 12 2.94 36 13 5 1 2 137.2 137 56 45 13 42 7 35 1 0 3 568 121 4.33 1.300 9.0 0.8 2.7 2.3 0.83 11 23 1 BSN,CIN,PHI
7 Chris Sale 0.8 29 109 80 148 2010 2012 21-23 21 11 .656 32 2.89 109 29 1 0 12 286.1 234 93 92 27 88 8 303 8 0 9 1152 148 3.19 1.125 7.4 0.8 2.8 9.5 3.44 25 80 1 CHW
8 Mike Montgomery 0.8 37 109 72 120 2015 2017 25-27 15 19 .441 34 3.45 109 37 2 2 3 320.2 274 134 123 29 130 7 256 22 0 27 1349 120 4.15 1.260 7.7 0.8 3.6 7.2 1.97 29 72 1 CHC,SEA
9 Ricky Horton 0.7 30 128 98 123 1984 1986 24-26 16 9 .640 25 2.91 128 30 2 1 5 315.2 301 108 102 26 99 22 184 5 8 9 1306 123 3.64 1.267 8.6 0.7 2.8 5.2 1.86 29 98 1/H STL
10 José Soriano 0.7 20 60 40 122 2023 2024 24-25 7 10 .412 17 3.48 60 20 0 0 0 155.0 124 72 60 12 68 3 153 16 1 9 653 122 3.85 1.239 7.2 0.7 3.9 8.9 2.25 7 40 LAA
11 Tom Hall 0.7 33 91 58 129 1968 1970 20-22 21 14 .600 35 2.87 91 33 6 2 4 325.2 250 124 104 24 128 10 294 3 0 10 1330 129 2.92 1.161 6.9 0.7 3.5 8.1 2.30 17 58 1/H MIN
12 Billy O’Dell 0.7 18 46 28 137 1954 1957 21-24 5 11 .313 16 2.62 46 18 3 1 4 164.2 128 56 48 12 50 3 109 5 0 0 661 137 3.07 1.081 7.0 0.7 2.7 6.0 2.18 12 28 1/H BAL
13 Adam Wainwright 0.6 32 95 63 122 2005 2007 23-25 16 13 .552 29 3.61 95 32 1 0 3 279.0 278 122 112 20 93 6 208 13 0 9 1200 122 3.79 1.330 9.0 0.6 3.0 6.7 2.24 11 63 1/H STL
14 Hugh Casey 0.6 35 97 62 125 1935 1940 21-26 26 18 .591 44 3.25 97 35 20 2 3 407.0 393 164 147 28 119 20 142 17 1 9 1728 125 3.98 1.258 8.7 0.6 2.6 3.1 1.19 36 62 1/H BRO,CHC
15 Steve Sundra 0.6 19 50 31 123 1936 1939 26-29 17 5 .773 22 3.62 50 19 11 1 0 216.1 219 104 87 14 101 4 61 0 0 7 946 123 4.48 1.479 9.1 0.6 4.2 2.5 0.60 24 31 1 NYY
16 Pedro Martínez 0.6 26 91 65 133 1992 1994 20-22 21 11 .656 32 3.05 91 26 1 1 3 259.2 197 94 88 16 103 7 269 15 1 9 1059 133 3.15 1.155 6.8 0.6 3.6 9.3 2.61 22 65 1 LAD,MON
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 9/25/2024.

Time will tell what becomes of Francis for the remainder of his career. But, he can always look back fondly at August and September of 2024 when he was in a zone the likes of which few other pitchers have experienced.

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Doug
Doug
7 days ago

Great game to put the Mets into the post-season, with Francisco Lindor and Ozzie Albies both recording WPA over 0.6, one of only 35 games since 2000 with players on both teams recording such elevated WPA scores.

There was more than one such game in only 10 of those 25 seasons, yet in half of those 10 seasons, there were two such games within a week, including this season, as Shea Langeliers and Luke Raley were the heroes in this A’s/Mariners game, two days before the Mets/Braves game. Weird!

Doug
Doug
6 days ago

The Brewers’ Jackson Chourio is now the second youngest player with a 2-HR game in the post-season. Only Andruw Jones in the 1996 WS was younger. The four youngest players with such a game were all born outside the US. Number five is Milwaukee-born Tony Kubek, who celebrates his 89th birthday next week. Chourio is the third and youngest Brewer with a rookie season including 75 R, 75 RBI and 50 XBH. But, going up against the likes of Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill and Masyn Winn, Chourio will likely not match Kubek in winning RoY honors. Kyle Higashioka homered for… Read more »

Last edited 6 days ago by Doug
Doug
Doug
5 days ago

Pete Alonso’s game-winning blast in game 3 is the 12th lead-changing home run in the 9th or extra innings of a sudden death (or “winner take all”) post-season game. Ten of the twelve came with the score tied, with Alonso and Johnny Bench the only players to do so with their team trailing. Bench’s blast tied the game in the 1972 NLCS, so Alsonso’s shot is the only one to take a team from trailing to leading.

no statistician but
no statistician but
4 days ago

Doug: 2024 is now on the books. Shohei Ohtani, of course, had a remarkable season in some respects, and yet WAR doesn’t rank it as high as Aaron Judge’s by a fairly impressive margin. Ohtani has a lock on the MVP award in the NL—no one comes close—but Bobby Witt, Jr., has a remote chance of upsetting Judge for the prize in the AL, partly because Judge was just being Judge and partly because Witt is the big bat in KC’s remarkable rise, even though that rise is mainly due to pitching by a staff that posted a 113 ERA+,… Read more »

Doug
Doug
4 days ago

Thanks nsb, Tom Seaver was once asked about the modern pitching philosophy and his response was that there was no reason pitchers today couldn’t rack up CG totals similar to those of bygone years. What was needed was for that expectation to be set, and pitchers would adapt, by pacing themselves and pitching to contact. To Seaver, the strain on pitchers’ arms was from the max effort needed to generate mid-90s velocity, not from high innings or pitch totals. He felt most pitchers could throw a 90 mph fastball comfortably for 9 innings, and do so consistently without injury. But,… Read more »

Last edited 4 days ago by Doug
no statistician but
no statistician but
2 days ago
Reply to  Doug

Up through the 1960s, for example, the so-called short porch down the right field line in Yankee stadium was more than compensated for by the huge expanse from left center to right center where four hundred twenty foot drives were merely routine fly balls. How many homers Mantle and Mays, not particularly big guys, would knock over today’s short fences should give Barry Bonds cause to pray in gratitude. As for that short porch, Ruth wasn’t particularly a pull hitter, and Mantle batting lefty was nearly a straightaway hitter. Both hit more dingers on the road than at home. Gehrig?… Read more »

Bob Eno
Bob Eno
2 days ago

I’m no Yankee hater! . . . Well, maybe a little. . . . or a lot . . . It was a long time ago . . . When I was 8 or 9 I once was seated in a box behind the plate on the 3B side in line with the basepath. Williams came up. He swung routinely and from where I sat the ball quietly went straight up and came straight down. I perceived it as a pop-up to the catcher, but fans were reaching for it at the right field foul pole. Short porch. But nsb… Read more »

no statistician but
no statistician but
21 hours ago
Reply to  Doug

Doug: Runners on base change the character of the game, but how they reach base is also significant. A walk really isn’t as good as a hit unless there are two out in the ninth with the bases loaded. Hits are more unsettling, ROEs are even more unsettling (a hidden factor in all this is the high fielding percentage of today’s players, thanks to manicured fields and basket-sized gloves). Doubles and triples ditto. Home runs used to have that effect but have become ho-hum events a large proportion of the time. Why? Because no runners are on base. The now… Read more »

Doug
Doug
4 days ago

Re: Trout, he has played only 319 games the past 5 seasons, but has still compiled 13.8 WAR for the period. That’s almost 7 WAR per 162 games, so even playing in small chunks of games spread out over 5 seasons, he’s still producing at an elite level. Here’s the list of players averaging 1 WAR per 25 games aged 28-32 (min. 250 games playing all 5 seasons), ordered by ascending games played. 319 – Trout 447 – McGwire 561 – Edgar Martinez 597 – Judge 603 – Joe Jackson 615 to 809 – 55 players, ending with Ripken Jr.… Read more »

Last edited 4 days ago by Doug
Bob Eno
Bob Eno
3 days ago

On your pitching point, nsb, this is the changing element of the game that I most regret. When I was small (mid-’50s) my older brother had a book that listed all the 200-game winners. I loved that list, and especially the short top section listing 300 game winners. The 19th century didn’t yet count, except for Cy Young, so there were only half a dozen guys in that section and I was sure they were part of ancient history. Grove was the only real lively-ball era member of that group, and he’d barely staggered over the line about fifteen years… Read more »

Doug
Doug
1 day ago
Reply to  Bob Eno

Another possible 200 game winner is Jose Berrios. At 30 years old and 99 wins, it would seem an outside shot, except that he hasn’t missed a start the past 7 seasons, so appears to be one of those rare rubber-armed hurlers. His results have been almost as consistent as his workload, with ERA+ in the narrow 108 to 123 range each full season of his career, save for an off year in 2022 when he posted a “lucky” 12-7 record with only a 74 ERA+. At 10 wins a season for 10 years, he would be at 199 at… Read more »

no statistician but
no statistician but
4 days ago

Here’s another screed. Don’t know why. I suspect that Doug may be working up a post on Pete Rose. In the meantime, if so, question: Outside of southwest Ohio, do many people really remember him as a playing force, as opposed to being an accumulator who hung on far past his expiration date in order to set records and stroke his ego? I ask this because, taking a fresh look at his stats, I was surprised to see how dominate he was in certain interlocking categories that don’t get talked about much in these enlightened times of the three true… Read more »

Bob Eno
Bob Eno
4 days ago

nsb, I think the answer to your initial question is No because a large percentage of people don’t have memories of the 1960s and 1970s (including some who once did). But when Rose was first putting up numbers all of my baseball-minded contemporaries in the remote outposts of Manhattan and the Bronx were very much aware of him (I actually think I saw less press about him after I moved to the midwest in ’66, but maybe it’s because I was too old to collect cards). After all, back then, BA counted, and even before he won three batting championships… Read more »

Doug
Doug
4 days ago
Reply to  Bob Eno

Rose played hard, he played everyday (16 seasons of 150 games, 3 more over 135 games), and he produced consistent results (12 consecutive 4 WAR seasons). That’s much more than just an “accumulator”. The Pujols analogy is apt. Rose was a drag on his team for 7 seasons (age 39-45). For Albert it was age six seasons (age 36-41) before an impressive “last hurrah” campaign at age 42. Yes, Rose hung around to break records. But, don’t forget about the money. He earned $4.5M those last 7 “drag” seasons (probably closer to $5.3M as there’s a season missing from that… Read more »

Last edited 4 days ago by Doug
Paul E
Paul E
1 day ago
Reply to  Doug

Pete (and Jeter?) probably had the greatest collection of teammates post-WWII more so than anyone in the sport. But, they also contributed- a lot…. Gotta love this lineup: 2B Morgan CF Dawson (Pinson, Tolan, Maddox) 3B Schmidt RF Robinson C Bench (Carter) LF Foster (Luzinski) 1B Perez SS Concepcion (Cardenas, Bowa) The huge contracts extending past players’ primes have contributed greatly to the “accumulator” phenomena. Pujols and Cabrera are two examples of guys reaching milestones (600 HR’s, 500 HR’s, 3,000 hits) that otherwise would not have been part of their career paths. Of course, Hall of Famers nonetheless….. Pete’s MVP… Read more »

Doug
Doug
1 day ago
Reply to  Paul E

Plus Carlton and Seaver (and Gullett, Nolan, Rogers, etc.) on the mound.

Paul E
Paul E
20 hours ago
Reply to  Doug

….and Jim Maloney.
Maybe it’s a mere coincidence but I believe Larry Shepard was either managing the Pirates or the pitching coach of the Reds when guys like Bob Veale, Gary Nolan, Don Gullett and Wayne Simpson sort of blew their arms out?

Doug
Doug
1 day ago

A few notes on the LDS games over the weekend. -6 HR by the Padres in game 2 ties the post-season record, set previously by the 2015 Cubs and 2023 Phillies, both also in LDS games -4 consecutive games with an extra-base hit by Kyle Higashioka ties the record streak by a catcher to begin a post-season, set by Gary Carter in 1981. -Dodgers have now played 17 straight post-season games with their starting pitcher throwing fewer than 6 innings, a streak going back to Max Scherzer with 7 IP in game 3 of the 2021 NLDS. -Mark Vientos becomes… Read more »

Last edited 1 day ago by Doug