Ex-Cardinals Hurler Pays Tribute To St. Louis Legend With New Number For New Team
The St. Louis Cardinals made some notable changes from last trade deadline through spring training, shedding ties with some important pieces in order to retool and climb back into contention.
Some of the players who were dealt were career-long Cardinals who -- at one point -- appeared to be on track to become staples of the organization.
One homegrown hurler certainly fit that bill after showing his Cy Young-caliber arm in his first couple of seasons in the big leagues -- right-hander Jack Flaherty.
After finishing fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2019, he started to decline and underperform the massive expectations set upon him by early career success.
The Cardinals traded him to the Baltimore Orioles at last year's trade deadline and he's since signed with the Detroit Tigers. Despite moving on, however, the former Cardinals starter decided to pay tribute to a franchise legend with his new number.
"Jack Flaherty threw his first official side session today in Tigers camp. He picked No. 45 in part for Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who talked a lot with him during his early years in St. Louis," MLB.com's Jason Beck shared Thursday.
The 28-year-old did not become a lifelong Cardinals hurler, following in the footsteps of Gibson. He did, however, dominate out of the gate and continues to show loyalty to the franchise that drafted him in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft.
Flaherty's ode to Gibson is a nice touch that will be well-received in the Cardinals community.
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