Fastball

Detroit Tigers Pitcher Jack Flaherty Extends Historic Strikeout-to-Walk Run

Jack Flaherty gave the Detroit Tigers another dominant outing against the Houston Astros on Saturday, joining Gerrit Cole, Clayton Kerhsaw and other aces in the history books.
Sam Connon|
May 18, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field.
May 18, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. | Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers blew out the Houston Astros on Saturday, thanks in large part to Jack Flaherty’s latest gem on the mound.

The right-handed veteran tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out six. Flaherty got the win after Detroit closed out the 13-5 victory to even up the series.

Flaherty is now 4-4 on the season with a 3.01 ERA, 0.953 WHIP, 2.2 WAR and 100 strikeouts. His 9.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio is far and away the best of his eight-year MLB career, up from 2.24 in 2023.

According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Flaherty is now one of seven pitchers in MLB history to post at least 100 strikeouts and no more than 11 walks through his first 13 starts of a season. Curt Schilling was the first to achieve the feat back in 2002, and it has since been done by Johan Santana in 2005, Davis Price in 2014, Clayton Kershaw in 2016, and Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole in 2021.

Flaherty was once one of the most promising young pitchers in the game, making his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals as a 21-year-old in 2017. He finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, then fourth in NL Cy Young voting and 13th in NL MVP voting in 2019.

From 2018 to 2021, Flaherty was 32-22 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.049 WHIP and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

The righty was limited to just eight starts in 2022 due to shoulder injuries, though, and his production started to dip over the next two years. Across his last 29 appearances with the Cardinals, Flaherty was 9-7 with a 4.39 ERA, 1.565 WHIP and 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings, and he got dealt to the Baltimore Orioles at the 2023 trade deadline.

Flaherty struggled even more in Baltimore, going 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.673 WHIP. He was left out of the Orioles' playoff rotation, making just one relief appearance in the ALDS against the Rangers.

The 28-year-old entered free agency without much momentum and settled for signing a one-year, $14 million contract with the Tigers in December.

Now, Detroit has an elite top half of the rotation between Flaherty, AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal and emerging second-year righty Reese Olson. The three have combined for a 2.91 ERA and 1.036 WHIP through 40 starts this season.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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