Jack Flaherty Says Tigers Teammate Reminds Him of Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw

Sam Garcia | 17 Hours Ago

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After helping his hometown team win their eighth World Series title in franchise history, starting pitcher Jack Flaherty returned to the Detroit Tigers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers no longer had room for Flaherty in their rotation following the signing of free agent pitchers Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. Instead, the Tigers signed Flaherty to a two-year, $35 million deal. 

Since then, Flaherty has reunited with Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. Skubal, who won the first Cy Young Award of his career in 2024, is known for his willingness to attack hitters early.

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The 2024 MLB Players Choice AL Outstanding Pitcher led the American League in first-strike percentage and ranked fifth in MLB overall. Flaherty said Skubal’s tendency to attack hitters reminds him of former Dodgers teammate, Clayton Kershaw.

“It reminds you of Kershaw when he was at his best and even still now,” Flaherty said to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden. “It’s strike one, strike two, coming right at you.”

Injuries and age kept Kershaw out of full form when Flaherty was on the Dodgers. Last season, Kershaw spent the majority of the year on the injured list, as he recovered from left shoulder surgery and left big toe inflammation.

But when Kerhsaw was at his peak, there were few pitchers that could compare.

Kershaw won all three of his Cy Young awards within a four year span from 2011-14. The 10-time All-Star has a career average of 2.2 walks per nine innings, while averaging 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings throughout his 17-season career with the Dodgers.

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Skubal is starting to find similar success as Kershaw once did. The 28-year-old southpaw led the American League in strikeouts (228), ERA (2.39), and wins (18) last season.

Skubal and Flaherty will headline the Tigers’ starting rotation in 2025. The pair bring veteran experience to Detroits young rotation, which includes four pitchers born in 1997 or later.

Right-handers Jackson Jobe and Keider Montero are the youngest of the group. Jobe, who the Tigers drafted No. 3 overall in the 2021 MLB draft, is 22 while Montero is 24.

Although Flaherty expressed interest in returning to Los Angeles in 2025, signing with the Tigers will give the 29-year-old a more prominent role as a pitcher and leader.

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