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John Franco (Part Two) All Time Lefthanded Saves Leader (1999 - 2005)

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1999 Mets Wild Card Season:  As the season began John Franco was once again the Mets main closer. On April 10th, he notched his first save of 1999, in an extra inning win in Montreal. 400th Career Save: On April 14th, Franco struck out the side in the top of the 9th inning, as the Mets beat the Marlins.  Franco became just the second pitcher, to notch his 400th career save. In the month of April, he had eight saves in opportunities, allowing just one earned run in 9.1 innings of work, for an ERA of 0.96. He continued to pitch well through May as he converted his first 14 save opportunities. From May 21st to May 31st, he did not allow a run in five appearances as he started June with a 1.74 ERA. It wasn't until June 2nd, his 23rd appearance, when he gave up a two-run single to the Reds Mike Cameron that he blew his first save. On June 11th, he gave up an 11th inning RBI single to the Red Sox John Valentin & took his first loss. At the start of July, Franco had 19 sa...
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John Franco (Part One) Italian / American Mets Hall of Fame Pitcher (1990 - 1998)

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John Anthony Franco was born September 17, 1960, in New York City at Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.  John is the Italian American son of Mary & James Franco. He had one brother & lived in the Marlboro Houses section off Stillwell Avenue. The family went to Church at Most Precious Blood on 47th St & would be more involved in the Italian Bensonhurst area of the late 1950's. Their father known as Jim a New York City Dept. of Sanitation worker. Franco would often wear his fathers orange NYDS T-shirt under his uniform jersey in honor of his father. In 1987, Jim Franco suffered a heart attack behind the wheel of his sanitation truck, passing away six months before his retirement. A year earlier John's mother had passed away to cancer. Mets Fan: As a boy in Brooklyn, John idolized the 1969 Mets. He then imagined he was Tug McGraw when he pitched in his back yard to his brother. During his college days Franco wanted to quit school to make money, at the time he had no car &...
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