MMO Exclusive: Franchise Saves Leader, John Franco

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and attending St. John’s University in Queens, John Franco embodied a New Yorker. It was only apt that Franco would ultimately pitch for his beloved childhood team, the New York Mets.

Franco, 64, was a four-time All-Star and a reliable arm in the backend of the bullpen. During his 21-year Major League career, Franco made at least 50 appearances 14 times, recorded 30+ saves eight times, and rose to the occasion in the postseason, posting a 1.88 ERA with a 0.977 WHIP over 15 career games.

The left-hander was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the 1981 Draft. It was with the Dodgers organization that Franco started to develop his bread-and-butter pitch: the changeup.

Two years later, Franco was on the move to Cincinnati, where the Reds fully transitioned Franco from the starting rotation to the bullpen.

Over his first six big league seasons (all with the Reds), Franco appeared in 393 games and posted a 2.49 ERA with 148 saves. Only two pitchers recorded more appearances during that span (Craig Lefferts, 416; Kent Tekulve, 403). Since the earned run became an official stat in both leagues in 1913, only four pitchers have appeared in 350+ games while posting a sub-2.50 ERA in their first six seasons: Tim Burke, Brad Ziegler, Craig Kimbrel and Franco.

During the 1989 Winter Meetings, the Reds matched up with the New York Mets in a trade that sent Kip Gross and Randy Myers to the Reds, with minor league outfielder Don Brown and Franco heading to the Mets.

Franco was coming home.

In his fourteen seasons with the Mets, Franco appeared in 695 regular season games and saved 276 games (both franchise records). In 2001, Franco became the third captain in team history, joining Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter.

Franco provided the Mets with many memorable moments, from striking out Barry Bonds with a 3-2 changeup in Game 2 of the 2000 National League Division Series to being the winning pitcher in the first game back after the September 11 terrorist attacks to a memorable commercial appearance for the defunct retailer The Wiz.

Among all-time pitchers, Franco ranks third in games pitched (1,119), seventh in saves (424) and in a three-way tie for 22nd in ERA+ (138). Franco and Billy Wagner are the only left-handed pitchers with more than 400 saves.

I had the privilege of speaking to Franco, where he discussed developing his signature changeup, striking out Barry Bonds in Game 2 of the 2000 National League Division Series, and the role Franco’s father played in his development.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Franco: My favorite players were Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Tommie Agee and that whole ’69 Mets team.

I loved Ron Guidry because he was a little left-handed pitcher like me.

MMO: At what point during your development did you start focusing on pitching?

Franco: I played shortstop up until 13, and then played center field and first base. Mostly around 13-14 [is when] I started pitching a lot.

MMO: What do you remember from your summer playing in the Cape Cod League?

Franco: That Ron Darling was my roommate and Dan Marino was our shortstop, but he left right before I got there. I think he made a good choice to go play football.

Playing in the Cape was a great experience. Not every college player gets the opportunity, and back then it was the highest level of college baseball.

MMO: What are your memories from the 1981 MLB Draft? Were the Los Angeles Dodgers on your radar?

Franco: I can tell you that the Dodgers were always a team that invited me to their tryouts. They always had their local tryouts at Poly Prep High School; that’s where my two older children went to school. The Dodgers were always there and they would invite me, along with the Baltimore Orioles’ scout named Al Goldis. The Dodgers’ scouts were Steve Lembo and Gil Bassetti. Those were the guys who gave me an opportunity and invited me to the tryouts.

I didn’t know I was going to get drafted by them, but I was happy that I did.

MMO: At what point did you start tinkering with your changeup? And is it true that Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax played a role?

Franco: Absolutely. When I was in the Instructional League with the Dodgers, Sandy Koufax, Dave Wallace – who’s my favorite pitching coach of all time – and Larry Sherry, our minor league coordinator, helped me develop that changeup.

When I got traded to Cincinnati, there was a left-handed relief pitcher named Freddy Norman, who had a circle change. I picked his brain a little bit. And then I picked the brain of Mario Soto, who had probably the best changeup in baseball back in the eighties.

One of the guys I sat and learned so much about pitching and how to act was Tom Hume. He was one of my favorite teammates in Cincinnati. He was one of the veterans who took me under his wing. I still keep in contact with him to this day.

MMO: You mentioned Dave Wallace. In previous interviews, you’ve heaped a ton of praise on him for your development. What specifically did Wallace do to help you?

Franco: I can tell you when I was pitching with the Dodgers in a couple of minor league games, and in one particular game, I was getting ahead in the count but wasn’t striking guys out. Dave called time, came to the mound, and had a lot of choice words for me which I can’t say. [Laughs.] That kind of put a lightbulb on, and I thought, you know, this isn’t college anymore. He kind of straightened me out and made me realize to stop acting like a fool and just concentrate on pitching.

I owe him a lot of credit for my maturity and development. Fast forward, and he became the pitching coach with the Mets, so it was great coming full circle.

MMO: At what point in the minors were you asked to transition to the bullpen?

Franco: I was a starter in the minor leagues with the Dodgers. In ’81, I got drafted, and then in ’82 I went from A-ball to Triple-A because one of their pitchers got hurt. I later went down to Double-A and then the following year I went to Triple-A Albuquerque, and they moved me to the bullpen there.

I got traded to Cincinnati and I went back to starting. They had a number one draft pick named Ron Robinson, who eventually became one of my best friends and roommate with Cincinnati. He was a starter and and they moved me to the bullpen.

My initial thoughts were it sucked because I always thought I’d make it as a starter, but [relieving] was the quickest way to get to the big leagues. I had the type of arm that could throw almost every day. As a starter, I wasn’t a big guy, but I was a full-energy guy, and by the sixth I used to get tired. Career-wise, I think it was probably the best move. Whoever thought of that in the Reds organization, I owe them a lot of credit!

MMO: What were your initial reactions when you heard you were being traded to the Mets in December 1989?

Franco: I was kind of shocked. That winter, the Cincinnati general manager called me because they wanted to give me a three year extension, and asked what I’d be looking for. I said, ‘I haven’t talked to my agent.’ I saw some stuff in the papers back home saying the Yankees were really interested in me.

A week later, the GM for the Reds called me again and said Lou Piniella, who became the new manager, wanted to meet and have lunch. That was about a week before the winter meetings.

The winter meetings came, and I got a phone call saying I was traded to New York, so I just assumed it was the Yankees. About ten minutes later, I got a call from Joe McIlvaine, who was the GM of the Mets, so I knew it was them.

I was very, very happy. I mean, I would’ve been happy for the Yankees, too, because it would still mean pitching back home. But the Mets were the team I grew up rooting for.

MMO: I’m sure you received a ton of ticket requests once you came back home to pitch.

Franco: I had a lot of cousins that I didn’t know I had! [Laughs.]

I had two phone lines at my house: one for family and one for friends. My wife, Rose, did a great job in handling the ticket situation. I always told everyone we’re home for 81 games, everybody can’t come to the same games, but pick and choose the ones you want to go to.

MMO: Can you share the reason why you wore the orange undershirt underneath your jersey?

Franco: I wore the shirt in honor of my father, who was a sanitation worker. My dad was my buddy, my best friend.

My dad didn’t like to fly. When I was attending St. John’s, we went to the World Series in Omaha. My brother, Jerry, and my dad were driving and the car broke down in Pennsylvania, so they had to turn back and miss it. But all through the minor leagues, he drove to Florida, Texas, etc.

When I had bad games, I’d call him up, and he would just make me feel good. He would tell me to put things in perspective, that I still have an opportunity, and turn the page on this one and focus on the next game. He never got mad, never yelled. Even when I was playing in high school and college, he was always away from the other parents. He stayed down the line and kept to himself. People would ask him, “Don’t you talk about your son?” He’d say, “No, I let my son do the talking between the lines.” That’s how he was.

He always demanded respect for the game; don’t disrespect baseball. He didn’t believe in booing players. My brother and I would go to games with him and even if the team was playing badly, you didn’t boo the guys. He loved baseball and he was a very important part of my life and development.

MMO: I assume your father was the person who introduced you to baseball.

Franco: He was. I also had an older brother; he passed away about a year and a half ago, and he was five years older than me. I owe him a lot of credit because we used to play games against each other and he’d beat my butt! But it made me more of a competitor, and as I got bigger and stronger, I started beating him. I owe him a lot of credit for my competitiveness, that’s for sure.

MMO: As a reliever, you need to have a short memory and be able to bounce-back after a tough game. How would you specifically handle those situations? Were you someone who utilized any visualization techniques?

Franco: There were a couple of visualization techniques that I used. Mentally, you had to be tough; you had to have a short-term memory. I used to compare a closer to a field goal kicker; if you save 15 in a row, everyone knows you. But the one you blow is the one they remember. A field goal kicker can make ten in a row, and when he misses, that’s the one they’ll remember.

It used to bother me more because I blew the saves of guys like Al Leiter, Tom Glavine, Mike Hampton or Bobby Jones, and they pitched their tails off and I come in for one inning and blow it for them. Those guys worked their tails off for seven-eight innings. That’s what bothered me most about blowing a save.

It would stick with me for a night. I used to watch the replays on ESPN and look to see where the pitch location was. I would try to visualize and do better next time. The good thing about being a relief pitcher was you could get in there the next day and save a game instead of blowing it.

MMO: You pitched both out of the windup and from the stretch at various points throughout your career. Was that more of a feel-thing for you, or were the specific reasons behind those choices?

Franco: When I first came up, it was mostly out of the windup because I was a middle relief/setup man with Cincinnati until I took over [the closer role]. And then my first year or two with the Mets, I was out of the windup. I realized coming into the game there’s less margin of error, and it’s more compact for me being in the stretch rather than the windup.

MMO: One of the lasting memories Mets fans have of you is when you struck out Barry Bonds looking on a 3-2 changeup in the bottom of the tenth in Game 2 of the 2000 N.L.D.S. For your career, you held Bonds to a .229 batting average and a .568 OPS over 39 regular-season plate appearances (and 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in the postseason). Did you have a specific game plan and pitch selection when facing Bonds?

Franco: Barry and I had the same agent, so I knew Barry for a while. I used to tell him, ‘You’re the greatest hitter, I don’t know how I get you out.’ He would always tell me that if he hit a home run against me he’d run around the bases backwards. [Laughs.]

We had some friendly competition, and he came close one time; he hit one off the wall. I really liked the challenge, and Barry was very challenging. You’d throw him fastballs and sliders; I never threw him a changeup until that playoff game.

I talked to John Olerud, who was our first baseman and a great left-handed hitter, and I asked him what the toughest pitch to hit off a lefty was. He said a changeup, so I put that in the back of my mind.

In that particular game against the Giants, I threw a 3-1 fastball that Barry fouled straight back. If he would’ve hit it, that would’ve landed in Oakland. [Mike] Piazza kept putting the fastball sign down, and I kept shaking him off. I had a base open and I decided if I walk him, fine; if not, I’ll take a chance with it. Just so happens, I threw a 3-2 changeup for a strike and got him out.

I think the next time I faced him in that series, he was looking for it (changeup), but I got him with a high fastball. We had some good battles.

MMO: Who are some hitters who gave you the most trouble during your career?

Franco: At the top of the list, and I think he gave everyone trouble, was Tony Gwynn. Then there were hitters like Mariano Duncan and Bob Dernier, who were more contact hitters.

I really didn’t have too much of an issue with the big home run hitters, it was the contact guys. Gwynn was just amazing, no matter what you threw him he hit it. I got to the point where I’d just throw it down the middle and hope he hit a line drive at somebody.

MMO: What did it mean to be named the third captain in Mets history? Were there any additional responsibilities you took on?

Franco: Not really. It was a great honor to be shown the respect from my teammates and the organization.

As a captain, if guys had a bad day, you’d go up to them and talk. Some might’ve had off-the-field problems that you might be able to help them with. When the team was going bad, you’d call team meetings. If we needed guys to relax and there was too much media in the locker room, I’d say, ‘We’re having a meeting,’ and Jay [Horwitz] would clear them out.

Jay would ask me, “What time’s the meeting?” I’d say, ‘There’s no meeting. I just want guys to relax.’ I tried to be a leader and lead by example on and off the field.

MMO: You’re third all-time in regular season pitching appearances with 1,119 games. Do you take pride in your place on that leaderboard?

Franco: It means a lot. I love the game and I love to play. Being a reliever is almost like being an everyday player. I had a great opportunity to do what I did for a long time.

MMO: Playing 21 years in the majors, and racking up the number of games that you did surely took a toll on your body. What would you do stay in shape?

Franco: The difference, I think, between players now and when I played is once the season’s over, guys today seem to take a week off and then they go right into throwing. I think that puts strain on their arms. I did a lot of weight training, and when I got closer to spring training, I cut my training in half in terms of weight and always did cardio and core. I ate well and my wife is in great shape too, and she made sure I ate well. I think there are too many gadgets now and gurus with these instructions and workouts. I think that adds a lot to these injuries.

I used to play basketball and throw the football around, and that was part of my workout. I’ll tell you a funny story: When I played for Cincinnati, I used to play in a touch football league in the offseason. I was a quarterback with the YMCA league. I used to have to sneak out because my dad would say I was crazy for playing, but that kept my arm in shape all winter. Once I got traded to the Mets, that was it. My career in touch football was over.

MMO: What have you been up to post playing career?

Franco: I’ve been retired since 2005 and still work with the organization periodically. I’ll go to spring training when I’m invited down. I’ve been one of the ambassadors and I do alumni work with Jay and the organization. I represent the team in various functions if they need me to do certain things.

I would love to get back into the game in some capacity. We’ll see what happens but I’m enjoying life. I took up golf a bit more seriously; I’m still not good at it, but I enjoy it. Hopefully one day, with the Era Committee, I get elected to the Hall of Fame.

MMO: Your candidacy is certainly an interesting one. Relievers haven’t been given the same attention as other positions for the Hall. If Billy Wagner makes it in his last year of eligibility, perhaps that will help your case.

Franco: My numbers are just as good as most of the guys in there, except for probably Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. If Billy gets in, that might open the door for me. I still think I belong in there, but things don’t always work out that way. Maybe the Era Committee and the former players and executives who are around the game will realize that.

MMO: When you look back on your career, John, what are you most proud of?

Franco: I’m most proud of being able to take the ball every day, being a good leader and respected on and off the field.

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