Franco grew up in Westlake Village, California, playing youth soccer with future USMNT players Eric Wynalda and Cobi Jones.

On July 10, 1999, with the Mets trailing the Yankees by one run with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth, Franco came up with a pinch-hit single off of Mariano Rivera to score two runs and give the Mets a 9–8 win.

Franco held the major league record with 20 pinch hit walks in a season until Matt Joyce broke it in 2016.

Franco told investigators that he had never bought or used any performance-enhancing substances, nor had he heard of Radomski until he pleaded guilty in federal court to money laundering and distributing steroids and human growth hormone.

[2] Franco lives in Simi Valley, California[citation needed].