Dodgers’ Flaherty shares NLCS Game 1 ‘moment’ with mother

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ major trade-deadline acquisition from this summer is already worth it.

Jack Flaherty was the star of the show in Game 1 of the NLCS between L.A. and the New York Mets, as he pitched an electric seven shutout innings while giving up just two hits in a 9-0 win.

The start, which helped the Dodgers take the first game of the best-of-seven series, was made all the more special by sharing it with a person in the stands.

Flaherty, 28, has been on this stage before as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019. But the right-hander, who has also pitched for the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers, which traded him to L.A. this season, is now doing it for his hometown team.

Born in Burbank, Flaherty starred for Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City as a teen. He originally committed to play college ball for the University of North Carolina but decided to go pro after being selected in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Cardinals in 2014 as a high schooler.

His mother, Eileen, took to X , formerly Twitter, on Monday to celebrate her son’s massive moment in the playoffs for his hometown team.

“20 years later … this kid had his moment @Dodgers Stadium in the NLCS Game 1,” she posted alongside a trio of photos of Jack in a little league Dodgers uniform. “We are so thankful for the joyful hugs, beaming smiles and overwhelming support. Let’s GO Blue.”

Flaherty said after Sunday’s game that having his mother in the stands while he pitched for his hometown team reminded him where he started as he prepared for the biggest start of his career.

“We all talk about it when we’re playing wiffle ball or what not when we’re growing up,” he told reporters. “You just got to look at it as fun and not make things bigger than they are.”

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