Jeff Francis

Lore & Background

Francis attended Burnsview Junior Secondary School and North Delta Senior Secondary School in North Delta, British Columbia. After playing for the North Delta Blue Jays of the B.C. Premier Baseball League, he went on to pursue a major in physics at the University of British Columbia while playing for the UBC Thunderbirds. He was selected in the 1st round (9th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in the 2002 MLB draft. In 2004, he was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and USA Today, becoming the first player in Rockies organizational history to win either award.

He made his MLB debut on August 25, 2004, against the Atlanta Braves. On September 23, 2006, Francis notched his 30th career win against the Atlanta Braves, passing Brian Bohanon to become the left-handed pitcher with the most wins in Rockies history. On October 3, 2007, he became the first Canadian starting pitcher to win a Major League Baseball postseason game. On October 24, 2007, Francis became the second Canadian starting pitcher to pitch in the World Series.

He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on February 25, 2009, and missed the entire 2009 season. He later played for the Royals, Reds, Athletics, Yankees, and Blue Jays. He announced his retirement on December 15, 2015. In February 2022, he was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame; he was inducted in June 2022.

Reader's Guide

Jeff Francis pitched for the Colorado Rockies from 2004 to 2008, then again in 2012 and 2013. He also played for the Kansas City Royals (2011), Cincinnati Reds (2012, 2014), Oakland Athletics (2014), New York Yankees (2014), and Toronto Blue Jays (2015). His best season was 2007, when he led the Rockies to the playoffs with a career-best 17 wins. He finished his MLB career with a 72–82 record, 4.97 ERA, and 869 strikeouts in 1291 innings pitched.