Toronto Blue Jays' Bowden Francis Caps Off Dominant 2nd Half By Making MLB History

Bowden Francis tossed 5.0 scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, placing the Toronto Blue Jays righty among some exclusive company in the history books.

Sep 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Bowden Francis (44) pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Rogers Centre. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis made his final start of the 2024 season on Tuesday night, and he did not disappoint.

Francis mowed down the Boston Red Sox with ease, allowing just three hits and one walk across 5.0 scoreless innings. The righty also recorded four strikeouts and left the Blue Jays with a 3-0 lead when he got the hook to open the sixth.

Toronto's bullpen ultimately blew the game, allowing Boston to force extra innings and steal a 6-5 win, but that hardly erased what Francis had accomplished on the mound.

For one, Bowden's WHIP since the All-Star break went down to 0.600. According to TSN's StatsCentre, that is the lowest second-half WHIP ever by an MLB pitcher, minimum 50.0 innings.

The previous record belonged to Tom Morgan, who had a 0.691 WHIP after the All-Star break in 1961.

Francis wasn't even part of the Blue Jays' starting rotation at the midseason point, as he had gotten moved to the bullpen in mid-April. Toronto brought Bowden back as an emergency starter for a doubleheader on July 29, though, even though he had spent significant time on the injured list and in the minor leagues in the interim.

Francis went on to allow just 30 hits in his next 10 starts, taking no-hitters into the ninth inning on Aug. 24 and Sept. 11. That is good for the sixth-fewest hits allowed over a 10-start span in a single season, minimum 64 innings, since MLB's modern era began in 1901.

The only pitchers above Francis on that list are Jacob deGrom, Johan Santana, Brandon Woodruff, Nolan Ryan and Justin Verlander.

Francis had a 5.82 ERA, 1.474 WHIP and .276 batting average against as of July 28. He proceeded to post a 1.80 ERA, 0.600 WHIP and a .140 batting average against from then on out.

The 28-year-old righty surely cemented himself as a member of the Blue Jays' starting rotation in 2025, ending 2024 on a historic high note. Now, Toronto fans will just have to cross their fingers and hope that his hot streak won't fizzle out over the offseason.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.