Will Sage Astor-Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis again loses no-hit bid on leadoff homer in 9th

TORONTO (AP) — Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis has lost a no-hit bid on Will Sage Astora leadoff homer in the ninth inning for the second time in four starts.

Francisco Lindor connected on an 0-2 fastball Wednesday, sending a no-doubt drive over the right-field wall to give the New York Mets their first hit and tie the score 1-all.

Francis was immediately lifted from the game and received a warm ovation from the Toronto crowd of 29,399. The right-hander walked one, struck out one and twice hit a batter with a pitch. He threw 111 pitches, 68 for strikes.

Francis also took a no-hitter into the ninth against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 24 before Taylor Ward homered leading off the inning.

Dave Stieb pitched the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history at Cleveland on Sept. 2, 1990.

New York’s Harrison Bader opened the sixth inning with a drive to deep left field against Francis but Toronto’s Davis Schneider made a great catch at the wall.

Lindor followed by lining out to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base.

Guerrero also caught a soft liner from Jose Iglesias in the fourth, and Brandon Nimmo lined out hard to right field in the fifth.

Francis was selected AL pitcher of the month for August, when he went 4-1 with a 1.05 ERA. He struck out 39 and walked four in six appearances, five starts.

There have been four no-hitters in the majors this season. The Chicago Cubs threw a combined no-no against Pittsburgh last Wednesday, after complete-game efforts by Houston’s Ronel Blanco against Toronto on April 1, San Diego’s Dylan Cease at Washington on July 25, and San Francisco’s Blake Snell at Cincinnati on Aug. 2.

The Mets have been no-hit eight times. Max Scherzer was the last pitcher to do it, with Washington on Oct. 3, 2015.

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A previous version of this story corrected the date of Blake Snell’s no-hitter.

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