Angels' Ward downplays Francis's near no-hitter: 'Everything was hittable'

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward might want to keep a low profile in the city of Toronto for the foreseeable future.

Not only did he break up Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis's no-hitter bid on Saturday with a leadoff homer in the top of the ninth inning, but after the game, he also seemed unimpressed by Francis's stuff.

"I really don't know. You know, I thought everything was hittable," Ward said to MLB.com's Julia Kreuz when asked what made Francis so tough. "Maybe to other guys, he made better pitches. A lot of guys were talking about his split and that being on. But personally, I didn't think it was anything special."

Francis established career bests with 12 strikeouts and going eight-plus innings in his 117-pitch performance. After eight innings, Francis had thrown 111 pitches, 16 more than his career high.

But that clearly wasn't enough to impress Ward. In 123 games for the Angels this season, Ward is slashing .236/.310/.393 with 17 home runs.

Ward and Francis got to know each other quite well on Saturday, as they also had a run-in during the third inning. Francis plunked the Angels outfielder with an errant pitch, but Ward was then erased in an inning-ending double play.

Despite Ward breaking the hearts of Blue Jays fans everywhere, the home team still got the last laugh. After Ward's homer in the ninth, Chad Green replaced Francis and shut the door on the Angels to preserve a 3-1 win for Toronto.

The Angels and Ward — who is sure to be public enemy No. 1 in Toronto — are back at the Rogers Centre on Sunday as they look to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays. You can watch the game live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT.

— With files from the Canadian Press