Frank Francisco
Encyclopedia
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
) is a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
.
Baseball career
Francisco was originally signed as an amateur free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. He was traded by the Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
on July 31, , along with Byeong Hak An in exchange for reliever Bob Howry
Bob Howry
Bobby Dean Howry is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-Early life:Howry attended Deer Valley High School in Arizona,then he attended McNeese State University and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants...
. On July 1, , the White Sox acquired Carl Everett
Carl Everett
Carl Edward Everett III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently an outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team...
from the Texas Rangers in exchange for three players to be named later. On July 25, 2003, Francisco, Josh Rupe
Josh Rupe
Joshua Matthew Rupe is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Career:...
, and minor leaguer Anthony Webster were sent to the Rangers to complete the trade.
Francisco is best known for participating in a notable incident fan violence. On September 13, , he threw a folding chair into the crowd in a game against the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. The incident initially escalated when Rangers pitcher Doug Brocail
Doug Brocail
Douglas Keith Brocail is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently the interim pitching coach for the Houston Astros.-High school years:...
charged from the Rangers' bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
to confront a fan, Craig Bueno, who, members of the Rangers later claimed, had been heckling the Rangers pitcher about his stillborn child and using hurtful racial slurs. Francisco, angered by the obnoxious fans, threw a folding chair at them, hitting Jennifer Bueno in the face and caused a cut, which required stitches. Francisco was arrested and on June 30, 2005, he pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to the charges. He was sentenced to anger management classes and a work program. A civil suit brought by the woman hit with the chair was settled on January 12, 2007. Terms of the settlement included an undisclosed payment and a public apology.
Francisco was suspended for the balance of the 2004 season, and missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
. After two years away from the Rangers, Francisco rejoined the club on September 8, .
After a poor spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, Francisco started with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma RedHawks
Oklahoma RedHawks
The Oklahoma City RedHawks are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros...
. Following an injury to Éric Gagné
Éric Gagné
Éric Serge Gagné is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.Signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in 1995, Gagné began his career as a starting pitcher...
in mid-April, Francisco was recalled to the majors. Francisco spent time in as the Rangers' closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
after an injury to regular closer C. J. Wilson.
Francisco again began as the closer. He had a very strong start, not allowing any runs over his first seven innings of work and just three hits and one walk, while garnering two saves. Through the end of April, Francisco maintained a perfect 0.00 ERA with one walk and nine strikeouts, as well as six saves. He allowed his first run of 2009 on an upper-deck home run by Oakland Athletics' second baseman, Adam Kennedy
Adam Kennedy
Adam Thomas Kennedy is an American Major League Baseball second baseman who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and had two stints with the St. Louis Cardinals.-Early years:Kennedy...
. On August 14, Francisco blew a 2 run lead in the first game of a potential wild card matchup between the Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
and Red Sox by giving up 6 runs, resulting in a 8-4 loss to the Red Sox. He followed up the blown save by pitching a near-flawless ninth inning on August 17 to clinch the save.
Francisco and the Rangers agreed to a pay of 3.265 million avoiding arbitration for the 2010 season.
Francisco lost the closer job after blowing 2 saves in his first 2 chances at the start of the 2010 baseball season
2010 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers’ 2010 season was the 50th in franchise history. The team, managed by Ron Washington, won their first division title since 1999 and reached the World Series for the first time in only their fourth playoff appearance. Washington would become only the second manager in franchise...
.
On January 25, 2011, Francisco was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in exchange for catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli
Mike Napoli
Michael Anthony Napoli is a Major League Baseball catcher/first baseman with the Texas Rangers.-Early career:Napoli attended Charles Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida...
.
On January 29, 2011, Francisco agreed to terms with the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year contract. After a stint on the disabled list, Francisco made his debut as a Blue Jay on April 20, 2011. On his very first pitch as a Blue Jay, Francisco gave up a homerun to the Yankee's Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson is an American Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees. Before joining the Yankees in 2010, he played with the Detroit Tigers . A center fielder, Granderson is known for being a five-tool player...
. Francisco's stint on the Blue Jays was lackluster. For example, after blowing a 4-0 lead to the Cleveland Indians in the 9th inning on July 7, 2011, Blue Jays manager, John Farrell, remarked that he would have expected a better performance out of aging pseudo-celebrity Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda is an American movie and television actor. Vigoda is well known for his portrayal of Sal Tessio in The Godfather, and for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the sitcom television series Barney Miller from 1975–1977 and on its spinoff show Fish that aired from February 1977 to...
.