Jack Flaherty finds yet another way to upset Cardinals fans with Dodgers comment

Postseason action with the Dodgers means more to Jack Flaherty than his experiences with any other team.
San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Dodgers / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages
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The Los Angeles Dodgers made several deals at this year's trade deadline, but one stuck out more than the others. The team acquired one of, if not the best starting pitcher who got moved, Jack Flaherty, in a deal with the Detroit Tigers.

His numbers with Los Angeles weren't quite as eye-popping as they were with Detroit, but Flaherty still had a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts with the Dodgers down the stretch. With all of the injuries that they've had to deal with, his presence is extremely important. He's set to start Game 2 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres.

As expected, the right-hander is excited to get a postseason start, as any pitcher would be. His comments about getting the honor of starting a postseason game for the Dodgers in particular, though, will almost certainly frustrate St. Louis Cardinals fans.

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Cardinals fans won't like how excited Jack Flaherty is to pitch in postseason for Dodgers

On one hand, Flaherty has reason to be excited about pitching for the Dodgers in particular. He grew up in Southern California rooting for the Dodgers. He went to games at Dodger Stadium. Being able to pitch in a postseason game against the Padres in Los Angeles in front of a packed house is absolutely a huge deal. The fact that this seems to mean so much more for him than pitching in October for, say, the Cardinals, is interesting.

“I’ve been here for a playoff game with St. Louis, but it will be on this side. And to be a part over it here is different. It’s just a lot of fun at the end of the day. I was looking back, like little young me, if I was to tell myself this, what would like 8-year-old me say? It would be pretty cool. So I’m just trying to enjoy it.”

Flaherty was on the 2021 Cardinals team that lost at Dodger Stadium in the NL Wild Card Game. He also made four postseason starts in a Cardinals uniform, pitching extremely well in three of them. None of these memories seem to top the opportunity for him to pitch in a Dodgers uniform. Flaherty going on and on about being a Dodger after everything he did with St. Louis feels weird.

The Dodgers can only hope that Flaherty lives up to the hype he's building for himself. They won the NLDS opener, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto went just three innings. They needed five relievers to secure the win, two of which recorded five outs. Quality length is needed out of Flaherty for the Dodgers to remain in good shape in this series. Based on these comments, it's entirely possible Cardinals fans will be rooting against Flaherty having the outing he's seemingly always dreamed of.

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