Jeff Francis

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Lore & Background

Jeff Francis's 2007 season stands as the high point of his Rockies tenure. He finished with a career-best 17 wins, 165 strikeouts, and 215+1/3 innings, leading Colorado into the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. On October 3, 2007, he became the first Canadian starting pitcher to win a Major League Baseball postseason game, beating the Philadelphia Phillies. He then became the second Canadian starting pitcher to pitch in the World Series on October 24, 2007, though he struggled, lasting only four innings and allowing six runs in a 13–1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Injuries derailed his career afterward: he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on February 25, 2009, missing the entire 2009 season. He returned in 2010 but never recaptured his 2007 form, posting a 4–6 record with a 5.00 ERA in 20 games.

In Their Own Story

The 2007 season was a career year for Francis. He finished with a career-best 17 wins, 165 strikeouts, and 215+1/3 innings. On October 3, 2007, he became the first Canadian starting pitcher to win a Major League Baseball postseason game by beating the Philadelphia Phillies. It was his first postseason appearance. On October 24, 2007, he became the second Canadian starting pitcher to pitch in the World Series but struggled in lasting only four innings and allowing six runs. The Rockies went on to lose the game 13–1, as well as the series to the Boston Red Sox. After the season, injuries struck: he reported pitching through shoulder soreness during the 2008 season, finishing 4–10 with a 5.01 ERA in 21 starts. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on February 25, 2009, and missed the entire 2009 season.

Reader's Guide

For Rockies fans, Jeff Francis represents a homegrown talent who delivered the franchise's first playoff success in over a decade. Drafted 9th overall in 2002, he was the first player in Rockies organizational history to win Minor League Player of the Year from both Baseball America and USA Today in 2004, going 16–3 with a 2.21 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 154.2 innings across Double-A and Triple-A. He made his MLB debut on August 25, 2004, and earned his first career victory on September 5, 2004, against the San Diego Padres. By 2006, he passed Brian Bohanon to become the left-handed pitcher with the most wins in Rockies history. His 2007 season was his peak, but shoulder surgery in 2009 cost him the entire season. He returned in 2010 but posted a 5.00 ERA in 20 games. After leaving the Rockies following the 2010 season, he returned for a second stint in 2012–2013, but his ERA climbed to 5.58 in 2012 and 6.27 in 2013, his worst in his MLB career. He became a free agent after the 2013 season.

Did You Know?

• Francis was selected 9th overall in the 2002 MLB draft, and along with Adam Loewen (4th overall), they were drafted higher than any other Canadian baseball players up to that time.
• In 2004, Francis became the first player in Colorado Rockies organizational history to win Minor League Player of the Year from both Baseball America and USA Today.
• On September 23, 2006, Francis passed Brian Bohanon to become the left-handed pitcher with the most wins in Rockies history.
• Francis was the first Canadian starting pitcher to win a Major League Baseball postseason game, doing so on October 3, 2007, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
• Francis committed only one error in 255 total chances during his MLB career, for a .996 fielding percentage.