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.
Lawrence Butler extended his career-long hitting streak to 20 games during Thursday’s contest against Houston, earning him the top spot on Week 23 of our #HighFive list; an honor he has received for two weeks in a row.
1. Lawrence Butler “Law Dawg”
Despite being out of the lineup a few days for rest this week, Butler was still able to register seven hits over a five-game span, including last Friday night, when he had three hits and reached safely four times.
The longest hitting streak in MLB this season is owned by Bryan Reynolds who reached 25 games. Butler would be in line to pass that by Tuesday of next week.
Butler is currently slashing .368/.400/.553 with four doubles in two steals through the first two weeks of September.
2. Jack Flaherty “Black Jack”
Jack Flaherty has been the Dodgers best pitcher since joining their rotation at the trade deadline.
He pitched into the eighth inning in 100-plus degree weather, striking out six and allowing no runs on just four hits against the American League Central-leading Guardians.
In seven starts with Los Angeles, Flaherty is 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 41.1 innings.
He ranks fourth in the Majors with a 2.68 ERA and has given up one or less runs in three of his last four starts.
Flaherty will take the mound on Saturday in what will be another hot day on the mound in Atlanta against the Braves.
3. Cedric “CM Storm” Mullins
Cedric Mullins flipped the switch in September and is now playing his best baseball since his 30/30 season in 2021.
He had his first two-homer game of the season Tuesday night in Boston and has a .333 average with three homers, four RBI and two steals over his last seven games.
Mullins showed out on the defensive side of the ball this week as well with a diving catch Monday night on a ball that had a 10% catch percentage.
This weekend his Orioles will take on a Tigers team that is doing everything in their power to sneak into a wild card spot.
4. James Wood
James Woods’ position in the fourth slot in Week 23 of our #HighFive list was fueled by a five-game hitting streak and 10 game on-base streak.
Wood continues to have a strong season and appears to be a main building block for one of the great young teams in the Majors alongside Dylan Crews and C.J. Abrams.
Over the last seven games Wood has a .310 average which raised his season average to .277 and OPS to .783. He has also driven in 34 runs and stole 12 bases.
5. Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien is trying to make one last push to get his Rangers back to the playoffs for a chance to become the first repeat champions since the Yankees in 1998-2000.
For the most part it has been a down season for Semien who finished third in American League MVP voting in 2023, but over the last seven games he has shown more life at the plate.
He had two home runs this week, including one during a World Series rematch against the Diamondbacks and the other at the expense of his mentor Ron Washington and the LA Angels.
On Tuesday, the trade deadline came and went with plenty of traffic. Of notable moves was Jazz Chisolm Jr. to the Yankees, Jack ‘Black’ Flaherty to the Dodgers and Josh Bell to the Diamondbacks.
Here are some grades for the teams who traded for the aforementioned players.
The trade: Jazz Chisolm Jr. from the Marlins to the Yankees for prospects Agustin RamÍrez, Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramirez
Trade grade: A
Chisolm couldn’t have had a better start to his Yankee career, making the grade easy to come by. In Chisolm’s first two contests, he hit two homers apiece and added eight total RBI to his numbers.
Before Chisolm’s debut with his new squad, the trade was a low-risk high-reward move from New York. Chisolm still has two years left in arbitration and the Yankees are in win-now mode, lessening the internal value on prospects.
Chisholm is now up to tying his career mark for batting average in a season with .254. He is also tied for his most bases taken in a season, with 23.
At just 22 years old, he provides a significant boost to the Bronx Bombers in what could end up as a career year for him.
For the Marlins, Agustin Ramírez and Jared Serna slot in as the No. 6 and 11 prospects, respectively.
The trade: Josh Bell from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks for cash considerations
Grade: B
As the Diamondbacks attempted to push for the top of the standings, it brought in Josh Bell in a big position of need.
Bell steps in after first baseman Christian Walker was injured and will replace Walker at that position. By just giving up the infamous “cash considerations,” Arizona gets a 1-year rental as Walker is a free agent following the season.
Currently, Bell is batting .239, a slight increase from last year’s total. He also has 14 home runs and can provide power to a Diamondback team that has hit 121 home runs this season — the 13th-best mark in the MLB.
Not much risk in this trade, either.
The move also allows the Diamondbacks to have some depth when Walker returns.
The trade: Jack Flaherty from the Tigers to the Dodgers for prospects Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney
Grade: A
The Dodgers rotation has been demolished by injuries, but now they’ve got some help.
“Black Jack” Flaherty saw the end of 2023 not pan out well as a deadline deal sent him from St. Louis to Baltimore. After the Tigers picked him up in free agency, though, that brother has been rolling.
Through 18 games, Flaherty has notched a 2.95 ERA, priming him for a big contract when he hits free agency following the season. Flaherty’s paycheck will be further validated as he sits at 133 punchouts, the 15th-best mark in the MLB.
For the 1-year rental of Flaherty, the Dodgers were forced to part with Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney, their No. 8 and 22 prospects, respectively. With the year Flaherty is having the haul is more than acceptable.
Now, Flaherty can slot in right behind ace Tyler Glasnow, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw among the many injured Dodger arms.
Now that we’re well into the “unofficial” second half of the season and are flying past the 100-game mark, it’s time to give props to the MLBbros who’ve set the pace over the last four months plus.
So far, we’ve seen some dominant performances from established veterans as well as emerging superstars.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Best Player: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
After battling with injuries most of 2023, “The Judge” has been relatively healthy and the rest of the American League is paying the price. Two years removed from breaking Roger Maris’ AL single-season home run record and winning an MVP award, No. 99 is on a pace where he could shatter his own record and then some. He’s not only leading the league in homers, total bases, and RBI, he’s also in the top 10 in several offensive categories including hits, runs scored, and WAR. All of this while his slugging partner in crime (Giancarlo Stanton) remains on the disabled list. All rise indeed.
Best Pitcher: Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers
Along with teammate Tarik Skubal, the former Cardinal and Oriole has given Detroit one of the league’s best 1-2 punches on the mound. Currently, “Black Jack” has kept his ERA just under 3.00 (2.95) and is enjoying his best season since 2021, when he went 9-2 in St. Louis. In his last 7 starts, Flaherty is 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA including 43 K’s in 39 IP. Ironically, Flaherty’s name has come up in trade talks as the deadline approaches. The Cali native is set to be a free agent at season’s end.
Best Breakout Player: Josh Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
The native Canadian has taken his overall game to another level and was rewarded by being named to his first All-Star Game. At the break, he was hitting .246 with a career-high 22 home runs and 70 RBI, just behind fellow All-Star Jose Ramírez. Both marks currently lead all AL first baseman. Naylor is the first Cleveland first baseman to be named an All-Star since Carlos Santana in 2019 and is the 2nd Canadian to make the All-Star team for Cleveland, joining Jeff Heath (1941, 1943).
Best Rookie: David Hamilton, Boston Red Sox
After being thrust into the lineup following Trevor Story’s season-ending injury, the Texas native struggled at the plate. The early season woes also affected his fielding as the normally sure-handed Hamilton had several physical and mental miscues in April. However, manager Alex Cora stuck with him, and he has slowly turned his season around. After flirting with the Mendoza Line early on, Hamilton has hit .273 in his last 7 games raising his average to a season-high .265. Hamilton has only 2 errors since April.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Best Player: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
MLBbro.com’s reigning Player of the Year began 2024 just how he ended 2023, establishing himself as one of the game’s best. The versatile shortstop/outfielder was on a torrid pace during the first two months of the season. He hit a sizzling .368 (46-of 125) with 6 homers, 23 RBI, and a combined .532 OPS.
However, everything changed on June 16th when he suffered a left-hand fracture after being hit by a pitch. While Betts has been out ever since, his overall numbers (304 with 10 homers and 40 RBI) were good enough for him to be named to his eighth straight trip to the All-Star Game.
Best Pitcher: Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds
The Reds’ Opening Day starter continues to make strides while Cincy tries to remain relevant during the wild NL Wild Card race. Named to the NL All-Star team, Greene has already set a career-high in wins (7) with a 3.34 ERA with 126 strikeouts through 110.1 innings of work at the break. This included a season-high in strikeouts with 10 against the Colorado Rockies in his last start before the break on July 11th. Following his win at Atlanta from Monday, Green dropped his ERA to 0.54 for the month.
Best Breakout Player: C.J. Abrams, Washington Nationals
It was just a matter of time before the 23-year-old shortstop would make an impact not only in D.C., but in MLB overall. In a season, where he was tabbed for his first All-Star Game, Abrams batted .295 in his first 26 games this season, totaling seven home runs and seven stolen bases. He also hit a sizzling .373 in June including 4 homers and 16 RBI during that stretch. With 15 homers and 15 steals at the break, he’s on pace for a possible 30-30 season, the first in Washington since Alfonso Soriano turned the trick in 2006.
Best Rookie: Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals
After getting a brief taste of the Majors last year, the Texas native has taken a full bite this season and established himself as one of the best young players in the league. Winn made the Opening Day roster and has been one of the most consistent players in the Cards’ lineup. He was hitting .284 at the break, with 5 homers, 33 RBI, and 9 steals.
He also hit .309 during the month of June while also establishing his presence in the St. Louis infield. One of the highlights during the month was his performance against the San Francisco Giants on June 20th in the Negro Leagues Classic played at Rickwood Field. Winn was the only Black player in the game and went 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and two runs scored as the Cardinals won 6-5.
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