Jack Flaherty is crossing multiple things off the bucket list in Game 1.
Tuesday, Dave Roberts announced Flaherty would start Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees. Flaherty, an L.A. native, is stoked.
“There’s no bigger stage than this,” Flaherty told MLB.com Wednesday. “It’s what we all wanted as kids, the position we want to be in. I have no words for it.”
The nod is something redeeming for Flaherty, as he’s seen the highs and lows of his career come in the past two seasons.
Jack Flaherty’s Journey
Starting with the Cardinals in 2023, Flaherty boasted a 4.20 ERA until being traded to the Orioles, where his numbers fell to a 6.75 ERA — Prompting him to move on in free agency and sign with the Tigers, where he regained his dominating stuff.
In 18 starts, Flaherty outplayed his contract and was subsequently traded to the Dodgers in July. Now that he’s back at home, he’s kept up with his numbers and went 6-2 in the regular season.
Flaherty is 1-2 in the postseason, but Roberts said Flaherty’s got to start.
“We don’t have a different alternative,” Roberts said at World Series Media day. “That’s how we set up the rotation, that’s what it’s going to be.”
Big Game 1
Los Angeles still has Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler, but it seems Roberts wants to keep everything uniform.
The competition isn’t getting easier for Flaherty either. The star-studded Yankees are going to be swinging the bat. Giancarlo Stanton has already cranked out five home runs in the postseason, while Aaron Judge led the team in regular season home runs at 58 and Juan Soto followed with 41.
Flaherty said he must focus on each individual pitch to have success.
“You got to go out there and execute your pitches,” Flaherty said.
Family Friendly
Flaherty will not only be able to get the job done against a home crowd, but family, too. Flaherty isn’t sure if there will be tickets to give out, though.
“Everybody knows not to ask me for tickets,” Flaherty joked.
He continued by adding he will take care of family. Though not blood, someone Flaherty may consider family is Braves World Series Champion pitcher Max Fried. Flaherty’s unsure if Fried will attend the game, but said he received a good luck text.
Flaherty watched Fried pitch on the big stage, but now it’s his turn.
There’s so many accomplishments Flaherty can point to come Friday. He’s a local starting in the World Series, he had to resurge in 2024 and’s starting in the World Series and finally: He’s a Black pitcher starting in the World Series.
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