John Franco

John Franco
Franco with the New York Mets in 1994
Pitcher
Born: (1960-09-17) September 17, 1960 (age 63)
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 pitched1,119
Win–loss record90–87
Earned run average2.89
Strikeouts975
Saves424
Teams
Career highlights and awards

John Anthony Franco (born September 17, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher between 1984 and 2005. Franco established himself as an All-Star player with the Cincinnati Reds before spending the majority of his career with the New York Mets. He ended his 21-year career with one final season with the Houston Astros.

Franco's 1,119 career games pitched is a National League record, and ranks fourth in major league history. His 424 career saves ranks sixth all-time in major league history (ranking second when he retired), and remains the most by a left-hander. For 15 of his 22 seasons, he played for the New York Mets, serving as team captain in his final years with the team. Franco was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2012.[2]

  1. ^ "John Franco statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "New York Mets Hall of Fame". mlb.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.