Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis has no-hitter through 8 innings against the Mets

TORONTO (AP) — Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis has not allowed a hit through eight innings against the New York Mets on Wednesday.

Francis has walked one, struck out one and twice hit a batter with a pitch. He’s thrown 108 pitches, 65 for strikes. Toronto leads 1-0.

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 but Toronto’s Davis Schneider made a great catch at the wall.

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

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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