Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty bounces back to hot start in Game 1 of World Series – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES – Three years ago, Jack Flaherty was in the stands at the World Series, along with his big league teammate Lucas Giolito, watching Max Fried, his former Harvard-Westlake High teammate, pitch for the Atlanta Braves in their title-clinching victory in Houston.

When Flaherty remembered that this week, he admitted he had mixed feelings that night.

“It’s a fun feeling to see that because you’re excited for one of your best friends and you’re incredibly happy for him,” Flaherty said. “Also, at that very moment you are a competitor and you want to be in that situation. “You want to be on the field.”

He got his chance Friday night, starting Game 1 of the World Series, this time with Giolito and Fried watching from the stands at Dodger Stadium. Although Flaherty came off the mound with a one-run deficit, he got the kind of start the Dodgers needed. in a game they won, 6-3, on a grand slam by Freddie Freeman..

“Jack threw his tail,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He made a bad throw, but he threw very well.”

Flaherty gave up a two-run homer to New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton on his 90th and final pitch of the night, with one out in the sixth inning, but that was all he allowed. He struck out six and walked one.

“I thought he threw very well,” catcher Will Smith said. “Just one mistake, Stanton’s little reserve curve. Other than that, he pitched very, very well.”

The Dodgers had lost two of Flaherty’s previous three starts this postseason, including Ugly performance in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. In that game, Flaherty allowed eight runs in three innings. Afterwards, Roberts said Flaherty had been “bad.”

Flaherty’s average fastball velocity during the regular season was 93.3 mph and dropped to 91.4 mph against the Mets. Additionally, Flaherty did not take a single hit in 16 knuckleball curveballs that drew hits from Mets hitters.

Against the Yankees, Flaherty’s average fastball was up to 93.6 mph, and the Yankees missed his knuckleball curve on 12 of his 17 swings.

“It was definitely sharper,” Smith said of Flaherty’s stuff, compared to the previous game against the Mets. “Putting the ball in good places. Execute launches. Definitely much better. Kind of like the first game of the NLCS.”

Flaherty pitched seven shutout innings in the National League Championship Series opener against the Mets..

Before taking the ball against the Yankees, he acknowledged that he would face a dangerous lineup full of hitters who don’t swing at pitches outside the zone and can hit those inside the zone.

The most dangerous hitter of all is Aaron Judge, the probable Most Valuable Player of the American League.

Flaherty struck him out three times.