"Reminds you of Clayton Kershaw when he was at his best" - Jack Flaherty makes feelings known about Tarik Skubal's aggressive pitching style

World Series Workout Day Ahead Of Game 1 - Source: Getty — Jack Flaherty makes feelings known about Tarik Skubal's aggressive pitching style - Source: Getty

Jack Flaherty is back in Detroit after his World Series winning stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. The World Series winner signed a two-year, $35 million contract with the Detroit Tigers in February.

Flaherty, who shared the clubhouse with reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal at the start of the 2024 season, was traded to Los Angeles in July for Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney.

Following a strong finish to the 2024 season, Flaherty elected for free agency and was re-signed by the Tigers in the offseason, reuniting him with Skubal. Ahead of the 2025 season, the former Dodgers pitcher made his feelings known on his teammate's pitching style.

“It reminds you of Kershaw when he was at his best and even still now,” Flaherty said. “It’s strike one, strike two, coming right at you.”

Flaherty's comments are flattering as Clayton Kershaw has been one of the most dominant pitchers over the last decade, earning three Cy Young awards and building a Hall of Fame resume throughout his stellar career with the Dodgers.

While Skubal was surprised that Detroit re-signed Flaherty last month after trading him last year, the All-Star ace was glad to have him back.

“I just didn’t think we were in the market for starting pitching, to be honest,” Skubal said. “But whatever. I’m happy he’s on our team.”

Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty share a similar mindset, says Tigers manager

The Detroit Tigers were one of the surprise packages last year, making the playoffs on the back of Tarik Skubal's Cy Young winning season. It was their first postseason appearance in a decade.

They raised eyebrows of baseball fans after eliminating the Houston Astros in the Wild Card series and went toe-to-toe against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS but lost 3-2 to end their postseason journey.

The team is hoping to build on that with Skubal reuniting with Jack Flaherty.

“They both are obsessed with preparation. They both are obsessed with routines. They both are obsessed with trying to find ways to get better,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said of Skubal and Flaherty. “From the very beginning last year, they were attached.”

Both Skubal and Flaherty will hope to replicate last year's performance with the latter wining his first World Series ring with the Dodgers last year.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash