John Franco will never make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame In Cooperstown. He has, however, made it into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.
↵The team announced Thursday that Franco, the the club's all-time leader in saves and games pitched, will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place June 3 prior to the 1:10 p.m. game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
↵Franco saved 276 games for the Mets during his 14-year career (1990-2004) with the team, the second-longest in franchise history behind Ed Kranepool's 18 years of service. The four-time All-Star compiled 424 saves during his career, the fourth-most in major league history and the most by any left-handed reliever.
"It's a tremendous honor to be elected to the Mets Hall of Fame," said Franco. "I would like to thank Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz, Jeff Wilpon, the Hall of Fame Committee, all of my managers and coaches and of course my teammates. My entire family is looking forward to June 3."
"John set a very high standard during his career both on and off the field," said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. "It's great that during our 50th anniversary season we can have John - a true New Yorker in every sense - inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame."
The Brooklyn native appeared in 695 games with the Mets and earned the National League Rolaids Relief Award twice (1988, 1990).