Left-handed starter Wayne Franklin never looked like the stopper York needed him to be. And in a repeat of last season, he left the team before Thursday's game to join Tijuana of the Mexican League.
Tijuana started the day 1.5 games behind first-place Monclova in the Northern Division. Tijuana has a team ERA of 4.91 and ranks 12th in the 16-team league for team pitching.
The move is similar to Franklin's exit last year, when he left York after three starts so he could earn a bigger paycheck in Taiwan. He returned in July, however, looking stronger and slimmer than when he left. He went 6-3 through the final two months of the season.
"I'm not disappointed," Revolution Director of Baseball Operations Adam Gladstone said. "He's going to go down there ... and get a lot more money than we could offer him."
This year Franklin didn't look as dominant as he had been in '08. And he struggled at times.
He went 4-2 with a 5.47 ERA. He struck out 36 and walked 32.
The only left-handed starter on the staff, Franklin allowed seven runs in his last start -- a 9-3 loss Tuesday.
Leave a comment