Toronto Blue Jays’ Bowden Francis grabbed plenty of attention last Saturday when he carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at home. However, his no-hitter was broken by Los Angeles batter Taylor Ward, who homered on a 3-2 fastball in the ninth inning.
Despite Francis’ stellar performance, the Angels won the game 3-1. Ward, however, wasn’t too impressed with Francis’ pitching.
“I thought everything was hittable,” Ward said, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. “Maybe to other guys, he made better pitches. Other guys were talking about his split being on, but I didn’t think it was anything special.”
Francis finished the game with just one run and one hit allowed, along with three walks and 12 strikeouts over 117 pitches, earning his seventh win of the season.
On Sunday, Francis received some support from his teammate, Chris Bassitt. During the series finale against the Angels, while Francis was being interviewed on air, Bassitt held up a sign that read, “15 innings, 2 hits, 20 Ks. Hittable + Nothing Special.” It was a subtle jab at Ward’s comments.
For Immediate Release: pic.twitter.com/nv14BCD4pz
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 25, 2024
Francis’ start against the Angels capped off an impressive run of performances this August. Over his last five outings, the 28-year-old has posted a 3-1 record with a stellar 1.32 ERA. He has one more scheduled start before September, as he’s set to take the mound against the Boston Red Sox in a series finale at Fenway Park this Thursday.
Given Francis’ excellent form, the Blue Jays are likely anticipating another strong performance from him.
Social media reactions to Chris Bassitt’s trolling of Taylor Ward
Fans online have been vocal about Chris Bassitt’s support for Bowden Francis and Taylor Ward’s comments. Here are some of their reactions:
– “Give me this straight into my veins.” – @ArmchairCommen2
– “Ward calling Bowden hittable is hilarious with his .212 avg. He got lucky and ran into one… periodically, a blind squirrel gets a nut.” – @snoshi
– “Chris Bassitt is fantastic 👏👏👏👏👏👏 Calling out those ridiculous comments!!!!” – @mcbluejays81
– “Sign Chris Bassitt to a lifetime contract IMMEDIATELY.” – @BudsNGraps
– “Bassitt’s support for his teammates is a beautiful thing! Stick it to them, Chris!!!!”
– “Chris Bassitt and Vladdy. Two of the best guys to have on a team. They got you. Bless this guy’s heart. He’s just flat-out lovable.” – @pouchbaby
– “If Ward had batted .500 this series, it may have held more credibility.” – @OldSchoolGoonH
Can Toronto still make the 2024 MLB playoffs?
Despite sweeping the Angels and winning four of their last five games, the Blue Jays’ chances of making the postseason remain slim given the current MLB standings.
Toronto’s record stands at 63-68 after Sunday’s win, leaving them last in the American League East division, trailing the New York Yankees by 14 games. Furthermore, the Blue Jays are 9.5 games out of the wild-card race in the American League, with five teams ahead of them for the third and final wild-card spot.
According to FanGraphs, Toronto currently has just a 0.2 percent chance of making the playoffs.
