Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty faced his former team on Tuesday. It’s safe to say that Flaherty won this round against the St. Louis Cardinals. And then some!
Flaherty took it to the Cardinals right from the word “go.” The Tigers right-hander struck out the first seven Cardinal batters he faced on Tuesday afternoon. The Motor City played host to history as Flaherty accomplished a new feat.
Flaherty’s seven consecutive strikeouts to open the game is matched the American League record for that particular feat.
MLB Stats noted Flaherty’s noteworthy accomplishment. “With 7 consecutive strikeouts to start the game against the Cardinals, Jack Flaherty has matched the American League record.”
With 7 consecutive strikeouts to start the game against the Cardinals, Jack Flaherty has matched the American League record. pic.twitter.com/Q3A41oYYrC
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) April 30, 2024
That wasn’t all Flaherty did either. He set a new career-high with 14 strikeouts through 6.2 innings pitched. However, he will not be the pitcher of record in this game.
In the ninth inning, the Cardinals came around to tie the game at one run apiece and then later took the lead. So, unfortunately for Detroit, the offense couldn’t pick Flaherty up besides the one run the team scored. They will be tasked with trying to pull it around in the ninth inning.
Despite that, though, Flaherty made some history on Tuesday. Sometimes, in baseball, you never know what you’re going to see, and it might wind up being historic.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022