Hometown kid Flaherty to start World Series Game 1 in LA

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers’ pitching plans for the first two World Series games against the Yankees at Dodger Stadium are now set.

On Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts officially announced that hometown kid Jack Flaherty will get the ball in Game 1 on Friday, and Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will follow in Game 2.

“It’ll be fun. It’ll be exciting,” Flaherty said. “I’m looking forward to Friday. There’s no bigger stage than this. It’s what we all wanted as kids, the position we want to be in. I have no words for it. I’m just looking forward to Friday.”

Flaherty shared that a friend sent him a text message a few days ago that read: “What a difference a year makes.” Maybe not many players in the Majors can relate to that message more than Flaherty.

After a down season in 2023, Flaherty decided to take a one-year deal with the Tigers this offseason in order to improve his stock. He made some adjustments on and off the field, which paid off immediately. Flaherty had a strong first half with Detroit and became the top starter available at the Deadline.

For a moment, it appeared the Yankees were the favorite to land the right-hander. But then reports surfaced that the Yankees were concerned with Flaherty’s back. That opened the door for the Dodgers to swoop in, dealing for Flaherty with about 20 minutes left before the end of the Deadline.

“There’s more to that with the Deadline that I’ve just kind of held on to,” Flaherty said. “Things turned out the way they did. We’re here with L.A. It’s crazy thinking I could have been on the other side of this. But I’m happy for the situation that I’m in and being part of this team and the guys that we have and the run that we’ve been able to go on and what we still have going forward.”

Like Flaherty, the Dodgers are also thrilled with how things went down at the Deadline. In 10 regular-season starts with the Dodgers, Flaherty went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA. But most importantly, Flaherty gave the team stability in its rotation.

With season-ending injuries to Gavin Stone, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow -- along with the inconsistencies of Bobby Miller and injury to Yamamoto -- the Dodgers desperately needed a starter to step up. At every turn, Flaherty did just that, and the Dodgers aren’t expecting anything different in the World Series.

“Jack’s been really good for us,” Roberts said. "Obviously, the experience, the way to kind of navigate an outing. He’s seen it all. Even looking at his last start in New York, I think that -- self-admitted -- certain parts of that game sped up on him. And I think that’s a lesson to be learned.”

As Roberts mentioned, Flaherty is trying to move past the worst start of his career. The right-hander allowed eight runs over three innings in the Game 5 loss against the Mets in the NLCS.

In that outing, Flaherty’s velocity was down across the board, especially with the four-seamer. His 91.4 mph average on the four-seamer was the fourth lowest of his career. Flaherty said there are no concerns moving forward and believes he made the necessary adjustments to bounce back in Game 1 against the Yankees.

“It usually just boils down to timing and trying to get the arm and the whole body in sync,” Flaherty said. “That’s been one of the focuses over the last couple of days. Just doing that, get some work done in the bullpen tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”

It’ll be a start Flaherty has always dreamt of, with the team he grew up cheering for.

“Last year, being at home and watching the World Series versus being in this situation now, given the year I was able to have and turn it into a bounceback,” Flaherty said, "it comes down to hard work and the more you work, the more you stay disciplined, things tend to go your way.”