First Gibson, now Flaherty: Rarefied 8-0 air

When Jack Flaherty toed the rubber for his first game of the 2021 season, he eyed a revival. He was coming off the worst season of his young career, hampered by the stop-and-start, chaotic nature of the Cardinals’ 2020 season. To himself, he wasn’t that pitcher deep down, he said in spring, never getting back to the full comfort level that he enjoyed in his sensational 2019 season.

When Flaherty set and delivered his first pitch of the season, the cleat that he toed the rubber with in Cincinnati featured an image of late Cardinals legend Bob Gibson. As Flaherty’s revival has come to fruition, it’s only fitting that the two would continue to be connected since then.

Buoyed once again by the run support that he’s become so accustomed to this season, Flaherty improved to 8-0 in his first nine starts of the season thanks to an 8-5 Cardinals victory over the Pirates on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. Only Gibson (in 1965) can say that he’s done the same in Cardinals history. Only seven other pitchers can say the same in the Wild Card Era (since 1995), Roger Clemens and Chris Sale among that group.

“That's rarefied air,” said manager Mike Shildt. “But Jack's put himself in that position to start that climb towards that kind of career.”

The pitcher himself, meanwhile, has a more humble take.

“It means you’re playing some pretty good baseball,” Flaherty said when asked about the honor of being mentioned with Gibson, from whom he took pitching tips, learned from and shared a special bond with.

Then Flaherty listed off several team-wide accomplishments on the night: Edmundo Sosa making a pair of superb diving catches; Yadier Molina blocking crucial pitches when Flaherty loaded the bases in the second; yet another offensive outburst in a game that he started, which actually lowered the Cardinals’ average runs scored in Flaherty starts this season, now sitting at 8.44.

Don’t get it twisted, though: As much as Flaherty can try to share the shine with his teammates, those he pitches in front of are ready to dole it right back to him.

“Obviously, Jack’s one of the elite pitchers in this league,” said second baseman Tommy Edman, who contributed to Flaherty’s support with two hits and three RBIs. “We know that we have a really good chance to win every time he goes out there.”

The exact same could have been said of Gibson in 1965 -- not nearly the finest season of his legendary career, but the most torrid stretch that he opened with.

Through nine starts, each ace’s stats look like this:

• Flaherty: 8-0 record, 53 1/3 IP, 2.53 ERA, 55 K, 17 BB
• Gibson: 8-0 record, 74 1/3 IP, 2.42 ERA, 69 K, 28 BB

For Flaherty, it comes at a time when the win statistic has dwindled by the year. Advanced statistics reign these days, with the number of complete games and innings pitched plummeting -- both marks where Gibson etched himself into baseball lore.

“[Jack’s] really determined to go out and win every day, every single time he pitches,” Shildt said. “He's got the elite mentality to go compete and shut people down. When you have that mentality, you have an expectation to win and to be on top at the end of it. He trains that way, he works in between starts that way and he goes out and he competes that way.”

So push wins aside; Flaherty still ranks in the top 20 of nearly every major statistical category in the National League, including ERA, FIP, innings pitched, WHIP and opponent batting average.

Most gaudy: His 1.54 win probability added is fifth among Major League starters.

But there’s one more layer to it all.

Both Gibson and Flaherty took a no-decision in their first start of the season; Flaherty was tagged for six runs across 4 1/3 innings and Gibson five in 3 1/3 frames. Flaherty’s Cardinals ended the day victorious, an 11-6 Opening Day win. Gibson -- who threw to Bob Uecker and was later relieved by Steve Carlton, who was making his big league debut -- left Wrigley Field with a tie due to darkness after 11 innings.

Then each ace of two very different Cardinals eras went on unrivaled runs to start a season.

Ties? Those are gone. Wins -- no matter how much their value may be lessened -- are still around.

“I don't know why they kind of devalue some stats, because they just make up other ones,” Flaherty said. “But a win’s a win. It’s not easy to get.”

And now, he’s got eight.