Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers' Jack Flaherty Dominated in NLCS and His Mom Took Note

Flaherty pitched a masterclass on Sunday.

Eva Geitheim

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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Pitching for the team he cheered for growing up, and at the stadium he once attended games at as a fan, Jack Flaherty delivered a seven-inning shutout of the New York Mets for the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

Perhaps both the most significant and best start of his career, Flaherty pitched seven innings against the Mets, allowing two hits, two walks and zero earned runs. He struck out six. Flaherty was perfect through the first three innings, retiring the first three hitters in each of those innings. It took until the fourth inning for Flaherty to face more than three batters in an inning. In five of his seven innings on Sunday, Flaherty faced just three batters.

The moment was not lost on either Flaherty or his mom, Eileen, who were seen embracing after Flaherty's dominant outing on the mound.

"20 years later … this kid had his moment @Dodger Stadium in the NLCS Game 1. We are so thankful for the joyful hugs, beaming smiles and overwhelming support. Let’s GO Blue!" Eileen wrote on X the following day.

The moment was even more remarkable for the Burbank native considering how unlikely the odds were for him to start Game 1 of the NLCS for the Dodgers at the start of the year. Flaherty didn't even play for the Dodgers to open the season, but joined the team when the Detroit Tigers traded him to the Dodgers minutes before the deadline.

Even after the trade, it didn't seem likely Flaherty would start Game 1 of a playoff series for Los Angeles. That likely would have gone to Tyler Glasnow, but Glasnow injured his elbow, keeping him out of the playoffs. The Dodgers have endured multiple other injuries to their starting rotation, including to Clayton Kershaw, River Ryan, and Gavin Stone, putting Flaherty as one of the team's top two pitchers for the postseason.

Flaherty started Game 2 of the NL Division Series, allowing five hits and four earned runs in a 10-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. After Yoshinobu Yamamoto started Game 5 of the NLDS, Flaherty earned the Game 1 start and his first postseason win as a Dodger.

Flaherty will start again for the Dodgers Game 5 of the NLCS, the potential clincher at Citi Field. If he leads the Dodgers to a Game 5 win, his next start will be at Dodger Stadium in the World Series.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She has been covering college and professional sports since 2022.

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