| John Franco | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Franco with the New York Mets in 1994 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1960-09-17)September 17, 1960 (age 64) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 24, 1984, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 1, 2005, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games pitched | 1,119 |
| Win–loss record | 90–87 |
| Earned run average | 2.89 |
| Strikeouts | 975 |
| Saves | 424 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Anthony Franco (born September 17, 1960) is an American former professionalbaseball player.[1] He played inMajor League Baseball as a left-handedrelief pitcher between1984 and2005. Franco established himself as anAll-Star player with theCincinnati Reds before spending the majority of his career with theNew York Mets. He ended his 21-year career with one final season with theHouston Astros.
Franco's 1,119 careergames pitched is a National League record, and ranks fourth in major league history. His 424 careersaves ranks seventh all-time in major league history (ranking second when he retired), and remains the most by a left-hander. For 15 of his 21 seasons, he played for the New York Mets, serving as team captain in his final years with the team. Franco was inducted into theNew York Mets Hall of Fame in 2012.[2]
Franco, who is ofItalian heritage, grew up in theGravesend[3] section of Brooklyn. His father, Jim Franco, was aNew York City Department of Sanitation worker who encouraged his son's baseball aspirations; Franco honored his father by wearing an orange Sanitation Department work-shirt under his jersey. John graduated fromLafayette High School in Brooklyn andSt. John's University inQueens, where he pitched twono-hitters in his freshman year. In 1980, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theCotuit Kettleers of theCape Cod Baseball League.[4]
Franco was selected by theLos Angeles Dodgers on June 8,1981, in the 5th round of the amateur draft. Before reaching the major leagues, he was traded to theCincinnati Reds on May 9,1983, with Brett Wise forRafael Landestoy. Landestoy batted under .200 before retiring the following year while Franco was a star reliever for much of the next two decades. Franco debuted with the Reds on April 24,1984. Franco was a traditional relief pitcher with a "90-mph fastball and a change-up that breaks away from a righthanded batter like a screwball."[5]
Throughout his six seasons with the Reds, Franco was a successful closer, winning the National LeagueRolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in1988. He helped the Reds finish second four seasons in a row (1985–1988).
On December 6,1989, at the age of 29, he was traded with Don Brown to the Mets forRandy Myers andKip Gross. He remained with the Mets organization until the end of the 2004 season. During his time with the Mets, he won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in1990, became team captain, and remained the closer until1999, when he moved to asetup role for new closerArmando Benítez. He led the league in saves for the 1988, 1990, and 1994 seasons. He reached the postseason for the first time in 1999 and theWorld Series in2000.
On May 11, 1996, in a game against the Chicago Cubs, the Mets held "John Franco Day" to celebrate his 300th career save. In the fifth inning, a brawl that cleared both benches and bullpens resulted in Franco being ejected from the game, along with eight other players.
Injuries caused Franco to miss the2002 baseball season, but he made a successful recovery from surgery and returned in June2003. He signed a one-year contract for the2004 season. He finished with a 2-7 record with 36strikeouts and a 5.28 ERA in 46 innings.
In January 2005, he was signed to a one-year deal with the Astros, at the age of 44, making him at that time the oldest active pitcher in Major League Baseball. On July 1,2005, Franco was designated for assignment, and he was subsequently released, which proved to be the end of his baseball career.
John married his high school sweetheart, Rose, whom he has known since he was 17.[5]
His son J.J. Franco, who was drafted by the Mets out of high school, attendedBrown University, where he played as an infielder.[6] J.J. was drafted by theAtlanta Braves in the 2014 MLB draft and played with the Braves and Mets minor league systems through the 2018 season.[7] Franco's cousin, Scott Pagano, played minor league baseball.[8]
Throughout his career, Franco supplied tickets to members of theBonanno crime family of theItalian-American Mafia and on one occasion Canadian organized crime figures, according toFBI documents made public in 2004. There was no suggestion that he committed any crimes but his behavior was a violation ofMajor League Baseball rules forbidding contact with known criminals.[9][10][11]
Franco appeared on the television showPros vs. Joes during season three.
During an interview, he revealed that he threw acircle changeup which was often mistaken for ascrewball.[12]
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Franco was inducted into theStaten Island Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He was also inducted into theNational Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.[13]
On March 29, 2009, Franco threw the ceremonial first pitch in the first game played onCiti Field, aBig East college game betweenSt. John's (hisalma mater) andGeorgetown.
On June 3, 2012, in a ceremony atCiti Field, Franco was inducted into theNew York Mets Hall of Fame.[14]
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