Fastball

Detroit Tigers Trade Candidate Joins Great Team History in Elite Thursday Start

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday as starting pitcher Jack Flaherty continued to etch himself into team history with another dominant start.

Brady Farkas

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) delivers a pitch against Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) delivers a pitch against Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, July 11, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Detroit Tigers dominated the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday afternoon, winning by a score of 10-1. With the win, the Tigers are now 45-49 while the Guardians fell to 57-35 with the loss.

The Tigers have been a disappointment this season, failing to take the big jump that many projected. However, the offseason signing of pitcher Jack Flaherty has worked out excellent for Detroit.

He got the win on Thursday, tossing 6.0 innings of one-run ball. He allowed only two hits and struck out four. With the win, the veteran is now 6-5 with a 3.13 ERA. Ahead of the trade deadline, it was a good showcase for Flaherty, who is likely to be dealt. If he is, it would be the second straight year that he was moved in July. He was traded from the Cardinals to the Orioles a season ago.

With the win, Flaherty has put himself on an elite list in team history, according to @StatsCentre:

Most strikeouts by a @Tigers pitcher through their first 16 games of a season:
131- Max Scherzer (2013)
125- Mickey Lolich (1969)
124- Justin Verlander (2009)
119- Scherzer (2014)
118- Jack Flaherty (2024 via 4 in 6 IP as part of today's 10-1 win vs CLE)
118- Matthew Boyd (2019)

The 28-year-old Flaherty is now 48-39 for his career with a 3.67 ERA. The former first-round pick is in his eighth year with the Cardinals, Orioles and Tigers. He won a career-high 11 games back in the 2019 season.

The Tigers will face the Los Angeles Dodgers for a series beginning on Friday night.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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