Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty Joins Elite Company With Historic Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio

Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty was virtually untouchable against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, and his elite control landed him squarely in the baseball history books.

In 5.0 innings of work, Flaherty allowed just two hits, zero walks and zero runs while striking out four. An early, precautionary exit meant Flaherty's night was over after just 60 pitches, but his discomfort on the mound didn't show up in his final stat line.

Flaherty is now 3-4 on the season with a 3.22 ERA, 0.963 WHIP, 1.6 WAR and an American League-leading 94 strikeouts. His 9.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio is far and away the best of his eight-year MLB career, up from 2.24 in 2023.

As noted by Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Flaherty is now one of four pitchers in MLB history to post at least 94 strikeouts and no more than 10 walks through his first 12 starts of a season. Curt Schilling was the first to achieve the feat back in 2002, and it has since been done by Clayton Kershaw in 2016 and Jacob deGrom in 2021 as well.

Jack Flaherty is 1 of 4 pitchers to begin a season with at least 94 K and no more than 10 BB through his first 12 starts, joining Jacob deGrom (2021), Clayton Kershaw (2016) and Curt Schilling (2002).
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) June 5, 2024

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 2.56 ERA and 0.965 WHIP through 35 starts this season.

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