TORONTO (AP) — Bowden Francis struck out a career-high 12 in a dominant performance for the Toronto Blue Jays, carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning of a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
Francis (7-3) walked three and hit a batter in his third consecutive win. He threw a career-high 117 pitches, 84 for strikes.
“It was his until he gave up a hit,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.
Francis’s no-hit bid ended when Taylor Ward drove a 3-2 fastball deep to center for a leadoff homer in the ninth. It was Ward’s 17th homer of the season.
“I wasn’t scared at all,” Francis said. “I was just trying to attack. It was just one of those things that didn’t go my way but I felt like I was in attack mode and he put a good swing on it.”
The crowd of 34,011 then saluted Francis with a standing ovation when he was replaced by right-hander Chad Green, who earned his 14th save in 14 chances.
Francis said he was touched by the reaction as he exited.
“That was huge,” he said. “I have chills now. The crowd here is one of the best.”
The 28-year-old Francis was named American League Player of the Week last week after going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two starts. In the first of those, he pitched seven innings in a road win over the Angels on Aug. 12.
“I feel very proud of him right now,” Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through a translator. “The last four or five outings he’s been incredible. Today was unbelievable.”
Francis is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 27 strikeouts in his past three starts.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to the kid, he almost threw a no-hitter but I’m glad he didn’t,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We couldn’t center him.”
It was the longest no-hit bid by a Blue Jays pitcher since Brandon Morrow threw 8 2/3 hitless innings against Tampa Bay on August 8, 2010. Dave Stieb pitched the only no-hitter in franchise history at Cleveland on Sept. 2, 1990.
Guerrero hit his 27th homer as the Blue Jays won their sixth straight meeting with the Angels.
Los Angeles has lost four straight and 10 of 12 overall.
Angels right-hander Carson Fulmer (0-5) matched his season high with eight strikeouts and six innings. He was charged with two runs and seven hits.
“He should be proud of his outing today,” Washington said.
Toronto’s Daulton Varsho reached on an infield single in the first and advanced to third on Fulmer’s throwing error.
“If you pick that ball up and you decide to throw it, you have to focus on where you’re throwing it, not just throw it,” Washington said of Fulmer’s decision to pick up a ball that was rolling foul.
Guerrero followed with an RBI double and scored one out later on Joey Loperfido’s double.
Guerrero extended Toronto’s edge with a leadoff homer against Victor Mederos in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: 1B Nolan Schanuel will sit out final two games of the series against the Blue Jays because of a sore back, Washington said, adding that he wants to keep Schanuel off Toronto’s artificial turf. The Angels are off Monday. ... OF Mickey Moniak was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight game. Moniak left Thursday’s game in the third inning after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch.
UP NEXT
RHP Kevin Gausman (11-9, 4.24 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Blue Jays against Angels LHP Tyler Anderson (10-11, 3.46 ERA) in Sunday’s series finale.
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