DETROIT — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty tied an American League file with seven straight strikeouts to open a sport in opposition to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday and completed with a career-high 14 in 6⅔ innings.
The Cardinals rallied after Flaherty’s exit, scoring twice within the ninth inning for a 2-1 victory.
Flaherty matched the file shared by Joe Cowley (1986 White Sox), Carlos Rodon (2016 White Sox), Blake Snell (2018 Rays) and Luis Castillo (2022 Mariners).
“It was good to return out and be in sync from pitch one,” Flaherty stated.
Miami Marlins right-hander Pablo Lopez set the most important league file by putting out the primary 9 batters of a sport in 2021.
Flaherty, dealing with one among his former groups, struck out the facet over the primary two innings and had yet one more strikeout to begin the third inning with a mixture of four-seam fastballs and knuckle-curveballs that saved the Cardinals flailing at pitches.
“He was on, and it was nasty,” Cardinals supervisor Oliver Marmol stated. “He had his stuff.”
Masyn Winn hit a groundout with one out within the third to finish the strikeout streak, however Flaherty struck out the facet within the fourth to boost his complete to 12.
Flaherty, 28, matched essentially the most strikeouts within the majors this season and essentially the most for the Tigers since Max Scherzer had 14 in opposition to Pittsburgh in an eight-inning outing on Aug. 14, 2014. Flaherty gave up two hits and a stroll in 6⅔ innings, exiting with Detroit main 1-0.
“You could possibly sort of really feel it early on within the sport,” Tigers catcher Carson Kelly stated. “Really earlier than the sport, he was on a mission.”
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow had 14 strikeouts over seven innings at Minnesota on April 9.
Detroit signed Flaherty to a $14 million, one-year contract, a deal that provides him an opportunity to earn an extra $1 million in bonuses.
He was fifth in NL Rookie of the Yr voting in 2018 in St. Louis and completed fourth in Cy Younger Award voting the next 12 months with an 11-8 file and a 2.75 ERA for the Cardinals.