Following a career that spanned 11 years with six different franchises, Canadian left-hander Jeff Francis has called it quits and is set to become the eighth member of Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence.
As a guest on the Jeff Blair Show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Thursday the 34-year-old southpaw reflected on his final season with the Toronto Blue Jays, his early years with the Colorado Rockies and what comes next for him and his family.
Francis, who currently lives in London Ontario, told guest host Ryan Pinder that coming to play with Canada’s only MLB team felt like an appropriate finish to his career.
“It’s pretty fitting I think,” he said.” I live out in Eastern Canada now, so to be able to play there and finish with that team the way we did was a lot of fun.”
Although he did not pitch often during the second half of the season, it did not detract from his enjoyment of the club’s first playoff run in 22 years.
“You look around the room and if you’re winning then you can’t have your own little pity party; if you’re winning that’s why you’re there,” Francis said. “The fans showed up 45,000 a night with an atmosphere you hadn’t seen in that city for quite a few years and I think the whole country deserved it.”
Francis posted a 72-82 record with a 4.97 ERA in 254 appearances in the major leagues, including 217 starts. On the surface the numbers are middling, but they are mitigated by the fact he spent nine years plying his trade in the hitters’ utopia of Coors Field. While Francis acknowledged the challenge of pitching a mile above sea level he claimed it never bothered him at the time.
“When it’s your home park you love it,” he said. “I think [Coors Field] is the most beautiful park in the major leagues.”
After Francis is honoured at the 14th annual Baseball Canada National Teams Awards Banquet on Jan 9 he doesn’t have any baseball-related plans and that’s the way it’s going to stay for the time being.
“I’m enjoying not getting ready [for Spring Training] but the spring might be difficult and we’ll have to see if I can see I can find things to occupy my mind,” he said. “For now I’ll step away from baseball for a little while.”
