Topic: Frank Francisco

Franklin Francisco (born September 11, 1979, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a relief pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball.

Francisco was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox. He was traded by the Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox on July 31, 2002, along with Byeong Hak An in exchange for reliever Bob Howry. On July 1, 2003, the White Sox acquired Carl Everett from the Texas Rangers in exchange for three players to be named later. On July 25, 2003, Francisco, Josh Rupe, and minor leaguer Anthony Webster were sent to the Rangers to complete the trade.

Francisco is best known for participating in a notable incident fan violence. On September 13, 2004, he threw a folding chair into the crowd in a game against the Oakland Athletics. The incident initially escalated when Rangers pitcher Doug Brocail charged from the Rangers' bullpen to confront a fan, Craig Bueno, who, members of the Rangers later claimed, had been heckling the Rangers pitcher about his stillborn child and using hurtful racial slurs. Francisco, angered by the obnoxious fans, threw a folding chair at them, hitting Jennifer Bueno in the face and caused a cut, which required stitches. Francisco was arrested and on June 30, 2005, he pleaded no contest to the charges. He was sentenced to anger management classes and a work program. A civil suit brought by the woman hit with the chair was settled on January 12, 2007. Terms of the settlement included an undisclosed payment and a public apology.