October 29, 2019

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

North Delta Blue Jays and University of British Columbia Thunderbirds alum Jeff Francis has been elected to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.

The announcement was made by the B.C. sports shrine on Tuesday. Francis will be inducted in the athlete category alongside Sonja Gaudet (wheelchair curling), Alex Stieda (cycling), Brent Johnson (football) and Kirk McLean (hockey) in a ceremony to take place on June 4, 2020 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Francis, who pitched in the major leagues for parts of 11 seasons, honed his skills with the North Delta Blue Jays and the Canadian Junior National Team, before embarking a successful collegiate career with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds. The Canuck lefty’s dominance with the Thunderbirds earned him the Canadian Baseball Network’s College Player of the Year award in 2001 and a place on CBN’s First Team All-Canadian Teams in 2001 and 2002.

The Delta, B.C., native’s outstanding collegiate career caught the eye of the Colorado Rockies who selected him ninth overall in the 2002 MLB draft. After parts of three strong seasons in the Rockies’ minor league ranks, including the 2004 campaign in which he was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, Francis made his big league debut with the Rockies on August 25, 2004 against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The following year he won 14 major league games and finished sixth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

From there, Francis evolved into the ace of the Rockies’ rotation, registering 13 victories in 2006 and a career-high 17 in 2007, which earned him a ninth place finish in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He also helped lead the Rockies to their first National League pennant.

Francis was the Rockies’ starting pitcher in Game 1 of the National League Division Series and the opener of the National League Championship Series, allowing just two runs in 13 2/3 innings and picking up wins in both of those assignments before becoming the first Canadian pitcher to start Game 1 of a World Series game. With his start in the Fall Classic opener, he also became the first Canuck to start any game in a World Series since Reggie Cleveland (Swift Current, Sask.) started Game 5 of the 1975 World Series for the Boston Red Sox.

In all, Francis pitched parts of 11 major league seasons, from 2004 to 2015, with the Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland A’s, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. He ranks among the all-time Canadian major league leaders in several pitching categories, including second in innings by a left-hander (1,291), fifth in games started (291) and seventh in wins (72). His 34 starts in 2007 is also a record for most in a season by a Canadian southpaw.

Francis was also a key member of the Canadian national team that won gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Ajax, Ont. He recorded two saves in the tournament before hurling seven innings in the gold medal contest against the U.S.

For his efforts, Francis became the eighth member of Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence in 2016.

“Our Class of 2020 is a terrific cross-section of the personalities and teams that make the history, heritage and culture of sport in British Columbia so notable and inspiring for the next generation of young people in BC,” said Tom Mayenknecht, chair of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in a news release. “On behalf of our Board of Trustees and management team led by Chief Executive Nicholas Cartmell, along with our Selection Committee and Foundation Board, we’re looking forward to celebrating their achievements provincially, nationally and globally at the BC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Gala on June 4, 2020.”

The B.C. Sports Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary achievement in B.C. sport history and inspires future generations to make their dreams come true. Each year, a diverse audience of over 35,000 visitors from around the globe are educated and enthralled by the collection of 27,000 artifacts and 100,000 archival documents representing 150-years of sporting accomplishments in British Columbia. Through the Hero in You Youth Education Programs, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame reaches over 6,500 youth across the province, advancing its mission of building outstanding community legacies by honouring the past and inspiring the future.

For more information on the 2019 inductees, click on this link.