Liriano's hero as a youth was Ken Griffey Jr.

Francisco was an outfielder who made excellent contact, but he lacked power. Francisco was an outfielder when he showed up at a Giants tryout camp, but  the Giants signed him and moved him to the pitcher's mound. In 2001, Rick Ragazzo was the scout who inked him for the Giants, for a bonus of $700,000.

"I didn't want to do it," Liriano said of moving to the mound. "I'd always been an outfielder, and I didn't know about pitching. But I said, 'OK, let's do it.'"

During the offseason before 2005 spring training, Baseball America rated Liriano the 5th-best prospect in the Twins' organization.

And then, before 2006 spring training, the magazine had Francisco moved up to #1 in the Minnesota farm system.

Francisco usually has solid work ethic and is a good guy in the clubhouse. He has a quiet manner with a solid aptitude for the game. He is usually one of the first to arrive at the yard every day.

On September 5, 2005, Liriano made his Major League debut and became the fourth Twins rookie pitcher to give up a home run to the first batter he faced. Dave Boswell (1964), Bert Blyleven (1970), and Oscar Munoz (1995) did it previously. Liriano surrendered a long homer to left field against Gary Matthews Jr.

Liriano knows English well and has no trouble communicating with coaches and all his teammates.

On March 30, 2006, Liriano was arrested on a drunken driving charge when he was stopped for allegedly speeding on a southwest Florida road in Cape Coral. He was going 56 mph in a 35 mph zone and drifting in between lanes in his Lincoln Navigator. Francisco registered a .133 blood-alcohol level on a breath test. Florida's unlawful level for drivers is 0.08.

February 2008: Liriano was late to Spring Training because a new law that required him to attend a counseling session. It seems that as part of a memorandum passed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last summer, visa applicants must be referred to panel physicians if they "have a single drunk driving arrest or conviction within the last three calendar years." The applicants must undergo a counseling session and also pass a sobriety test.

In 2006, Francisco got the nickname "Franchise." During an early series at Kansas City, Carlos Silva and Twins veteran Brad Radke were eating together with a few other players when Silva decided to start flipping his water bottle cap at people. One bounced directly off the table and hit Liriano in the chest to which Radke exclaimed, "Hey, careful! Don't hit the franchise, or you're going to get in big trouble."

In the fall of 2007, Liriano left the instructional league without telling manager Ron Gardenhire. "I wanted to stay, but at the same time I wanted to go home, because I spent the whole summer down here. I was here probably six months ... I don't know why. I just went home. I was feeling frustrated. My arm was kind of hurt by that time; it was bothering me a lot," Francisco said during 2008 spring training.

Gardenhire isn't the only one confused by Liriano, who's affable but seems to contradict himself or befuddle listeners whenever talking about his injury or decisions.

FAMILY

In 2007, Francisco and his wife Johanna were married.

Johanna gave birth to their first child, Kevin, on April 4, 2008.

On June 8, 2010, Francisco's wife, Johanna gave birth to their second child, another son, Francis Javier.

April 11, 2015: Pirates juggle rotation after birth of Liriano's daughter. There is one extra baby in the Liriano rotation, so for the time being there is one fewer Liriano in the Pirates' rotation.

Explanation: Francisco Liriano returned to his Dominican Republic home for the birth of his daughter Natalie. Rather than start the finale of the ongoing series in Miller Park, he was formally placed on paternity leave.

"Kind of put my mind at ease," he said. "Didn't think about baseball when I was home."

The more Liriano has relaxed, the easier his comeback became.

In January 2008, Liriano signed an endorsement deal with Under Armour.

On May 3, 2011, Liriano no-hit the White Sox—the first no-no of 2011. It was Francisco's first complete game, and it was his first shutout of his professional career—Majors or minors.

The Twins' previous no-hitter was September 11, 1999 when Eric Milton tossed one against the Angels in the Metrodome. It was also the fifth since the Twins moved to Minneapolis: Scott Erickson threw one against the Brewers on April 27, 1994; Dean Chance tossed one against the Indians on Aug. 25, 1967; and Jack Kralick had one on Aug. 26, 1962, against the Royals.

Francisco drove a Cadillac Escalade in 2011.

Liriano's favorites:

Actor: Will Smith; Movie: Scarface; TV Show: "I like watching programs on Spanish television," Francisco said. Music: Raggaeton; Food: Chicken, rice and beans; Sports team outside of baseball: Miami Heat.

Francisco's life outside of baseball? "I'm a family man. I usually stay home and do things with my wife and kids."

Liriano says that if he had not been a baseball player: "Maybe a policeman; but being a baseball player is all I ever wanted to be," Francisco said.

In 2013, The Sporting News named Liriano the National League Comeback Player of the Year. A couple weeks later, Liriano was named Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year.

It’s the second time Liriano has won Comeback Player of the Year, taking home the honor in 2010 with the Minnesota Twins, becoming the first player in history to win the award on multiple occasions.

"This guy [Liriano] is a gifted pitcher, as good as any in the National League when he is healthy," said Clint Hurdle, manager of the Pirates. "Nobody has more respect in that clubhouse," Hurdle said. "It isn't just what he does on the mound but what he does on the four days in between. He sets an example." (Singer - mlb.com - 4/2/15)

March 3, 2017: Liriano is just getting warmed up. Toronto's left-hander made his spring debut in the 3-2 win over the Yankees at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. It was a brief, yet effective opening act -- two shutout innings, three strikeouts and no walks.

"Feels great, you know," Liriano said. "Physically, everything feels fine."

It marked Liriano's first game action since getting struck on the head by a liner off the bat of the Rangers' Carlos Gomez in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

Five months later, the Blue Jays' veteran has had no effects from the concussion he sustained last October.

"No, not at all," Liriano said. "I'm just trying to put everything behind me and trying to move forward. I don't even think about it anymore. It's in the past for me. I'm not worried about that."

Not only was Liriano ready to move past his painful postseason, but he was also relieved to put his first spring outing behind him. 

"You feel anxious, a little anxious to get [myself] ready for the season," Liriano said. "A good feeling to get the first one out of the way." (M Nabors - MLB.com - March 3, 2017)

Jan 17, 2022: After a 14-year MLB career spent mostly with the Twins and Pirates and two decades in professional baseball, left-hander Francisco Liriano has decided to step away from the sport.

Liriano’s retirement was first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided, who also shared a statement from the 38-year-old pitcher.

“I have spent some time recently reflecting on my career and thinking about my future,” Liriano told FanSided. “After many discussions with my family, friends, and others who care about me, I have decided to retire from professional baseball after a 20-year career.

“I want to thank all the coaches and fans in both the U.S. and the Dominican Republic who have supported me on my baseball journey. “I also want to thank my wife and kids for all their love. I’m going to miss playing, but I will stay close to the game as I work with my kids on their own baseball journey.
"Hopefully, there will be another Liri in MLB soon (no pressure)!”

Though he never played for their big league team, Liriano was signed out of the Dominican Republic as a free agent in 2000 by the Giants. He was traded to the Twins as part of the package for A.J. Pierzynski in ‘03, two years shy of when Liriano made his MLB debut with Minnesota.

Liriano pitched his way to an All-Star selection in 2006, his first full season, and he was a mainstay of the Twins' rotation for parts of seven season before being dealt to the White Sox at the Trade Deadline in ‘12 with free agency looming. He chose to sign with the Pirates, where he enjoyed the most successful years of his career.
 
In his first four seasons for the Bucs, Liriano was exclusively a starter, pitching under a 3.50 ERA in each season of Pittsburgh’s postseason-bound campaigns from 2013-15. He started the Pirates’ first playoff series since 1992 and secured the first postseason series win since the ‘79 World Series.

However, after a couple of half-seasons in Toronto between 2016-17, Liriano ended the ‘17 campaign with his first World Series ring as a reliever for the Astros. Following a stop in Detroit in ‘18, the reliable starter for the Pirates’ best teams of the 2000s returned to Pittsburgh in ‘19 to close out his MLB tenure as a reliever.

For his career, Liriano had a 4.15 ERA in 419 games (300 starts) with 1,815 strikeouts in 1,813 2/3 innings pitched for six teams. (J Crouse - MLB.com - Jan 17, 2022)

TRANSACTIONS

2001: The Giants signed Liriano as a free agent.

November 14, 2003: The Twins sent catcher A.J. Pierzynski and cash to the Giants, acquiring Liriano and pitchers Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser. (Twins minor league scout Sean Johnson recommended the organization insist on Francisco as part of a trade.)

January 19, 2010: Liriano and the Twins avoided salary arbitration, agreeing on a $1.6 million contract for 2010.

February 5, 2011: Francisco and the Twins agreed on a one-year, $4.3 million contract, avoiding arbitration.

January 17, 2012: Liriano and the Twins avoided arbitration again, agreeing on a one-year contract for $5.5 million.

July 28, 2012: The White Sox sent SS Eduardo Escobar and P Pedro Hernandez to the Twins, acquiring Liriano.

December 21, 2012: Francisco signed a two-year, $12.75 million deal with the Pirates. But he injured his pitching arm just a few days later and the Pirates voided that contract.

So on January 21, 2013, the two sides announced they had agreed on an adjusted deal in which will assume risk due to the injury. He is guaranteed $1 million, but can earn up to $13.75 million plus award bonuses over two years if he pitches regularly, and an injury to his non-throwing arm doesn't land him on the disabled list.

December 9, 2014: Liriano and the Pirates agreed on a three-year, $39 million pact.

August 1, 2016: The Blue Jays traded RHP Drew Hutchison to the Pirates for Liriano, RF Harold Ramirez, and C Reese McGuire.

Toronto assumed the $18 million he’s owed through 2017.

July 31, 2017: Toronto Blue Jays traded LHP Francisco Liriano to Houston Astros for LF Norichika Aoki and RF Teoscar Hernandez.

Nov 2, 2017: Liriano chose free agency.

Feb 23, 2018: The Tigers signed free agent Liriano to a one-year deal. Liriano will earn $4 million, with another $1 million in incentives based on games started. 

Oct 29, 2018: Liriano chose free agency.

Feb 4, 2019: The Pirates organization signed Liriano to a one-year contract. His contract is worth $1.8 million, if he makes the roster, with an additional $1.5 million in incentives, 

Oct 31, 2019: Liriano chose free agency.

Jan 22, 2020: The Phillies organization signed free agent Liriano.

Feb. 3, 2021: The Blue Jays signed Liriano to a minor league contract.

March 30, 2021: The Blue Jays released Liriano.

Liriano is a true lefthanded power pitcher. His lively 20 seam SINKER is 92-97 mph -- amazing heat for a lefthanded sinkerballer. He has an outstanding 85-88 mph hard SLIDER with tight rotation and misses lefthanded bats, and two CHANGEUPS.  (Spring, 2018)

(He has both a circle-change that drops straight down and a three-fingered changeup that breaks away from righthanded batters, in the 84-86 mph range.)

The tight rotation on his slider makes it hard for hitters to pick up before it breaks sharply. That may be his best pitch. One of his changeups is probably his second best pitch, making the sinker his third best pitch.

2016 Season Pitch Usage: Sinker 50.6% of the time; Change 19.3%; Slider 29.9% of the time.

2017 Season Pitch Usage: Sinker just over 50% of the time; Change 16.7%; Slider 32.8% of the time.

2019 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 7% of the time; Sinker 36.8%; Change 25.1%; Slider 31%; and his Curve less than 1% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 93 mph, Sinker 93.2, Change 87.2, Slider 87.4, and Curve 81.9 mph.

2016: Francisco is throwing less and less strikes. In 2014, Liriano had the lowest rate of pitches thrown in the strike zone, on record. Last year, he nearly matched it.

If you go by the PITCHf/x data, which is thought to be a bit more accurate, the numbers change a bit, and Liriano’s seasons drop to third and fourth, trailing only Derek Lowe from 2010-11. But the point remains: it’s a two-year run of Liriano throwing more would-be balls than anyone in a decade, and he’s not only been effective, but he’s been getting better.

The fastball is in the zone less than it’s ever been. The slider is in the zone less than it’s ever been. The changeup hasn’t much been in the zone for years. Intuitively, none of this seems overwhelmingly positive. More than anything, pitching coaches want their guys throwing strikes, and the first key to throwing strikes is putting the ball over the plate. No one is putting the ball over the plate less often than Liriano, yet the strikeouts keep piling up. How could this be?

Not sure but the truth is Liriano has become the most extreme ball-thrower in the history of plate-discipline data, batters have actually been chasing more at his increased offerings outside the strike zone. As Liriano throws fewer and fewer pitches over the plate, you’d think the league would begin to adjust, and simply let Liriano beat himself with balls leading to walks. However, the league’s inability to lay off these unhittable offerings outside the zone (or make contact with them—Liriano was tied with Clayton Kershaw for baseball’s lowest O-Contact% last season) has given Liriano no incentive to start putting anything over the plate. (August Fagerstrom - FanGraphs - 1/25/16)

In 2005, Francisco led the minor leagues in strikeouts (204 in 168 innings). And, while with Rochester (IL-Twins), Liriano fanned Red Sox prospect Kevin Youkilis twice on a total of six pitches, much to the amazement of players on both sides because Youkilis might have been the most patient hitter in the minors.  (Baseball America-February 2006)

In 2005, Indians catcher Ryan Garko commented about Liriano: "He's so tough because his third best pitch is probably his fastball—and that's 95. He throws his slider and his changeup whenever he wants to."

2005: Francisco has smooth mechanics, an effortless delivery and a good feel for pitching. He has very good maturity on the mound, pitching intelligently. He has a loose, lively left arm.

In 2005, he eliminated a slight recoil that truncated his follow-through, allowing him to fully extend and add velocity, with the help of New Britain Rock Cats pitching coach Stu Cliburn. His improved balance in his delivery takes strain off his arm. He repeats his delivery well, now, no longer flying open so often.

"Liriano is a kick-the-winning-field-goal kind of guy," Rochester Red Wings manager Rich Miller said. "He has great poise and never gets rattled if he's in a jam. He's quiet, well prepared, and not boisterous or flamboyant. His hat is always going to fit."

Former Major League manager Joe Altobelli, a radio analyst for Rochester games, predicted Francisco could win 250 games in the Majors. "He's got everything it takes," Altobelli said in 2005. "I managed (245-game winner) Dennis Martinez in the minors and the Majors. This kid could be at least as good." (Editor's note: Because of all his injuries, that will never happen. At the end of 2015, Liriano had 88 wins.)

May 10, 2012: The Twins moved Francisco to the bullpen to try to get him going. He was 0-5 with a 9.45 ERA.

"Maybe a couple innings here, a couple innings there, he blows some people away and gets some kind of mojo going," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Then we see if we can get him back in there. We need him as a starter. We told him that. He has the best arm on this team and we need to get him some confidence going, get some quality innings out of him, maybe help us win a few ballgames out of the bullpen right now. Eventually we're going to need him as a starter."

On June 5, 2012, Liriano pitched a four-strikeout inning in the fourth inning of the Twins' game against the Royals.

2014: Liriano is not the same guy when working from the stretch, with consistently worse numbers when he has men on base.

Best pitch: Liriano's slider : How he uses it: Liriano goes with it more often with two strikes or when ahead in the count for swing-and-misses, though he's willing to use it earlier if he's trying for quick innings.What it does: Liriano's slider has late dive, down and in to left-handed hitters, away to right-handed hitters. But what accentuates it, according to teammates and opponents, is that it's difficult to pick up the spin, because he hides the ball well.

What they say about it: "His slider disappears on you. It kind of comes out of nowhere, and then once it gets out, it's gone again. I think the deception's really big. He comes at you and then he kinda ducks, and then his arm's kind of behind him, and it just appears. I don't know how he does it, but it works for him." -- Tigers catcher John Hicks 

Some call it the greatest catch in the history of baseball?

Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano made an incredible grab during a game against the Chicago Cubs. The pitcher sent his pitch towards batter Dinoer Navarro who hits the ball hard down the line towards the mound.

Not put off by the shot’s speed, Liriano turns his back as the ball flies beneath his legs and into his waiting glove.

And the commentators can’t believe it.

One said: “He can do it all, the don’t look, between the legs, behind the back, Papa Francisco.”

Ice cool and collected, the pitcher calmly tosses the ball to first base and sends Navarro back to the bench.

August 8, 2015: Francisco Liriano mashed a three-run shot for his first Major League home run. The opposite-field shot was the first homer of Liriano's 10-year career. In fact, it was his first extra-base hit in 172 plate appearances.

November 6, 2006: Liriano underwent Tommy John surgery, which involves replacement of the ulnar collateral ligament, and missed the entire 2007 season. He had the 90-minute surgery in California, with Dr. Lewis Yocum performing and Twins physician Dr. John Steubs assisting.

A tendon, called the palmaris longus, was removed from Liriano's left forearm and threaded through two holes drilled above and below his elbow. Surgeons used to take tendons from the opposite arm, but more are using tendons from the same arm.

The slider is the one pitch that some baseball insiders linked to Liriano's elbow problems before the surgery. At times during his stellar 2006 rookie season, Liriano appeared to fall in love with his dominant slider—throwing an extremely high number of them in his outings. But the slider puts a lot of strain on the elbow.

2007: Francisco was in rehab following his Tommy John surgery. After the surgery, he spent a month doing gentle motion exercises. Then came about five months of motion and strengthening exercises. He could pick up a baseball and mix in very light tossing after that. Bullpen sessions are possible in 10 to 12 months after the surgery.

By January 2008, Liriano had a clean bill of heath.

December 2012: Liriano broke his right arm.

In January 2013, a newspaper in his native Dominican Republic reported he suffered it in a bathroom fall.

According to elcaribe.com, the newspaper's website, Liriano fell only days after the Dec. 21 agreement on his original two-year, $12.75 million contract with the Pirates, fracturing the humerus bone in the upper arm. The accident forced the sides to revisit terms of the original contract and reopen negotiations. The potential total value of the deal remained the same, but Liriano agreed to a lower 2013 salary and assumed a shared risk.

April 2-May 11, 2013: Francisco started the season on the D.L.

June 11-July 13, 2014: Liriano was on the D.L. with a strained left oblique.

Oct 8, 2016: Tests results revealed that Blue Jays left-hander Francisco Liriano has a concussion, and he will miss at least seven days per Major League Baseball rules.

Liriano sustained the concussion when he was struck in the back of the head/neck area by a line drive off the bat of Rangers outfielder Carlos Gomez during thw 5-3 victory in Game 2. He was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation -- and the good news is, there was no skull fracture. "All of the tests today were all normal, it was great," Blue Jays trainer George Poulis said. "We're very excited how [Liriano] felt today, and so is he. ... Any player that has a mild concussion, or any kind of head trauma, we test those guys every single day and we monitor them.(G Chisholm - MLB.com - Oct 9, 2016)

May 11-June 2, 2017: Liriano was on the DL with left shoulder inflammation.