John Franco Biography

John Anthony Franco, born on September 17, 1960, is an American former professional baseball player. He has played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher from 1984 through 2005. Franco established himself as an All-Star player with the Cincinnati Reds before spending most of his career with the New York Mets. His 1,119 career games pitched is a National League record and ranks fourth in major league history. Franco was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 8, 1981, in the 5th round of the amateur draft. He was a traditional relief pitcher with a 90-mph fastball and a change-up that breaks away from a right-handed batter like a screwball, and he won the National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1988. On May 11, 1996, in a game against the Chicago Cubs, the Mets held a celebration for his 300th career save.