October 18, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (0) pitches against the New York Mets during the first inning of Game 5 of the NLCS in the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
“When you’re ready to go, you just have a different opponent, and you treat it like you would any other series or any other game,” he said. “Everything else stays the same. Everything else stays the same. It’s just everything that happens outside changes.”
In December, Flaherty signed a one-year, $14 million free agent contract with the Tigers. Detroit traded him to the Dodgers on July 30, and he became the top starter in an injury-plagued Los Angeles rotation.
Flaherty appreciates the mystique of the Yankees, thinking back to a trip he took to Yankee Stadium as a child.
“But also at this time, I’m 12. I think my brother is probably 8 at this point. We’re there to enjoy baseball, and we’re just there to watch the game, eat food and hang out. The setting will be different this time around (for Games 3, 4 and 5).”
