Jack Flaherty Was Effectively Wild in Tigers Series Finale Against Boston Red Sox
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Jack Flaherty got the job done, kind of, during the Tigers series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Flaherty allowed two runs (zero earned) on their hits but walked six batters over 3.1 innings. It took 73 pitches to get that far, and he only threw 41 strikes.
After back-to-back walks to lead off the fourth inning, Flaherty got Wilson Contreras to pop-out before being pulled from the game. Brant Hurter induced a ground out and lineout to end the inning, and limit any damage.
The six walks are certainly jarring, but not too-far-fetched from his performances this season. He's always at least three batters through his first four starts, including walking four and hitting three on April 4. Despite the wild tendencies, he exited Monday's contest with a 3.47 season ERA over five starts.
The most concerning part was the increased wildness. Flaherty hadn't walked six batters since April 7, 2023, when he played for the St. Louis Cardinals. During the first year of his 2-year, $35 million contract last season, Flaherty didn't walk batters at this high a rate.
He averaged 3.30 BB/9, just above his current 3.25 BB/9 career average. This season, it's skyrocketed to 6.30 and has no signs of slowing down. With Justin Verlander on the injured list, Detroit needs Flaherty to step up his game.
Jack Flaherty Gifts a Routine Outing Amongst Great Tigers Starts
The 30-year-old has pitched at least five innings twice this season so far, but has been effective. He's allowed two runs or less in all but one of his outings, a feat he shares with every other starter who's thrown more than once.
Despite his wildness, he's helped the Tigers climb to second in all of Major League Baseball in team ERA, behind only the Atlanta Braves. Although we're just three weeks into the season, this is a massive step in the right direction. The Tigers were 16th in team ERA last season.
The pitch that's helped Flaherty be effective, yet wild, has been his four-seam fastball. Entering Monday, batters were hitting .179 against it, and he's thrown it much more than his other pitches. This is compared to a .264 batting average against his fastball last season.
Sadly, batters have rocked his slider this year. They're hitting .286 against it with a 20.6 Whiff rate. Last season, batters had a 29.5 whiff rate and .230 average against that pitch.
If Flaherty can calm down the walks a bit, he will thrive even more. The Tigers should be thrilled to have him in the rotation still; he's certainly helped lead the improved stats for far this season.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.