DETROIT – The last time Jack Flaherty earned a win over the Cubs, he was still hitting — not just pitching. That was back in late 2019, when he singled, scored, and helped the Cardinals clinch the NL Central.
Fast forward to a Sunday in early June: the stakes weren’t nearly as high, but with Comerica Park packed for a third straight game and the top teams in the AL and NL Central squaring off, the energy felt postseason-like.
“It’s special,” Flaherty said. “It lifts our game, makes it more fun. You soak in those moments.”
Flaherty rose to the occasion, tossing six shutout innings and striking out nine — matching a season best — in a 4-0 Tigers win. Detroit claimed the series, winning two of three, and made a statement as they headed off to Baltimore.
“It was a blessing to play in front of that kind of crowd and against that caliber of team,” said Kerry Carpenter. “It was fun to see how we stacked up. We gave them our best and showed we can hang with good teams.”
The performance was a rebound after a lackluster series split against the White Sox earlier in the week.
“That Chicago series may have been a bit of a wake-up call,” said catcher Dillon Dingler. “We knew we underperformed. It was good to see us focus and get back to playing sharp baseball.”
It was also a personal resurgence for Flaherty, who had hit a rough patch a month ago with five straight losses. Since then, he’s won three consecutive starts, allowing just one run on eight hits over 18 innings, walking five and striking out 21.
This is the pitcher Detroit hoped for when they signed him in February, envisioning him as a co-ace alongside Tarik Skubal. Both delivered this weekend.
“I’ve seen both sides of Jack,” said Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, who caught Flaherty in St. Louis and briefly in Detroit. “Today, he was in rhythm, commanding his pitches. When he’s like that, he’s tough to hit.”
After the Cubs hammered Tigers pitching the day before, Flaherty came out firing — retiring the first nine batters, five on strikeouts. He and Dingler adjusted based on what the Cubs had exploited Saturday: five homers on breaking and offspeed pitches. So Flaherty attacked with heat.
His 96.1 mph heater in the first inning tied his fastest pitch this season. It helped set up a nasty curveball to strike out Seiya Suzuki, who had homered twice the day before.
Flaherty’s fastball racked up 17 called strikes, while his curve generated eight whiffs — including three of his first five strikeouts, setting the tone.
“He was really sharp early,” said Cubs manager Craig Counsell.
Though Flaherty’s velocity dipped and his command briefly wavered in the third inning — issuing two walks — a big defensive play from Carpenter erased a run at the plate. Later, Parker Meadows made a leaping catch in center to end a bases-loaded threat with a screaming 107.2 mph lineout.
“I just lost my arm for a bit,” said Flaherty (now 5-6). “Made a few key pitches when I had to, but that throw was huge. I was able to regroup.” He retired the final six batters after a leadoff double from Dansby Swanson in the fifth.
