Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Bowden Francis Joins Exclusive List in Recent History

Bowden Francis has led the Toronto Blue Jays to wins in each of his last three starts, doing something no American League pitcher has done in the last three seasons.

Aug 18, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis (44) delivers against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays may still be stuck in last place in the AL East, but their four-game sweep over the Los Angeles Angels provided some much-needed juice to their potentially lost season.

More than anything, Toronto's starting rotation has come alive. Before Kevin Gausman made franchise history with his gem on Sunday, Bowden Francis shut down the Angels on Sunday. The 28-year-old right-hander allowed one earned run, one hit and three walks in 8.0 innings of work, striking out a career-high 12 batters along the way.

Codify Baseball noted that Francis is now one of two MLB pitchers in the last three years to post three consecutive starts with a Game Score of at least 78. The other is Dylan Cease, who did so with the San Diego Padres from July 13 to July 25 earlier this summer.

For context, Cease's no-hitter against the Washington Nationals capped off that three-game stretch.

MLB pitchers in the last 3 years to have 3 consecutive starts with a Game Score of at least 78: Dylan Cease and Bowden Francis pic.twitter.com/AVMei0N6om

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 26, 2024

Francis may not have thrown a no-hitter this season, but he has still been one of baseball's hottest pitchers this month.

Thanks to his two 7.0-inning gems on Aug. 12 and Aug. 18, Francis was named American League Player of the Week on Aug. 19. Adding in his performance against the Angels on Saturday, he is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA, 0.364 WHIP, .070 batting average against and 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings over his last three outings.

Francis is currently 7-3 with a 4.02 ERA, 1.074 WHIP, 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.3 WAR so far in 2024. He began the season in the Blue Jays' rotation, but got bumped to the bullpen after allowing 12 earned runs and four homers in his first two appearances.

Right forearm extensor tendinitis knocked Francis out for the entire month of May, and he mostly remained a long reliever upon his return. The Blue Jays made Francis a starter again on July 29.

Prior to this season, Francis had never made a start at the big league level. He went 1-0 with a 1.73 ERA, 0.826 WHIP, 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.9 WAR across 20 relief outings in 2023.

As it stands, Francis' next start is scheduled to come against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. He has yet to make a start against the Red Sox, although he has tossed 1.0 scoreless inning of relief at Fenway Park in his career.

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