Tigers Starter Jack Flaherty Under Immense Pressure To Perform Down the Stretch

The Detroit Tigers need Jack Flaherty to improve down the stretch.

Aug 24, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) throws during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. | Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images

As the Detroit Tigers continue to run away with the American League Central, the focus will soon shift to October. 

It has been a fantastic overall season for the Tigers in 2025. Even though they might not be playing their best baseball right now, they were the best team in the AL to start the year. That has helped them build and sustain such a large lead in their division. 

Over the weekend, the team will be playing a series against the Chicago White Sox. That precedes a massive showdown with the New York Yankees to start next week. With the division basically wrapped up at this point, the team will be starting to plan for what the playoffs will look like. 

While the lineup has been improved from last year, they have a lot of key players struggling in the second half. Hopefully, some of them snap out of their funks soon. Furthermore, a big area of concern for the team is going to be their starting rotation after their ace. 

Dawn Klemish of MLB recently wrote about Detroit starting pitcher Jack Flaherty being the player with the most to prove down the stretch. 

Can Jack Flaherty Erase Struggles?

William Purnell-Imagn Images

The veteran right-hander was a big free agent signing by the Tigers over the winter to help be the number two pitcher behind Tarik Skubal in the starting rotation once again. It was the second straight year in which they signed Flaherty, and he was really impressive in the first half of the campaign with the team in 2024. 

At the 2024 trade deadline, the right-hander was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers and went on to help them win a World Series. The reunion with Flaherty appeared like it could help solve a massive issue that the team had in the playoffs last year after they traded him. 

Unfortunately, he has yet to be the same pitcher that he was in 2024. So far this campaign, he has totaled a 7-13 record and 4.74 ERA. Those numbers certainly don’t indicate that, based on production, he should be starting in a playoff series, but the Tigers might not have too many other options. 

With a month of the campaign to go, the veteran certainly has a lot to prove. If he is unable to pitch up to expectations, the team might have some hard decisions to make regarding his role in the starting rotation come playoff time.