DETROIT – None of this is new for Jack Flaherty. He’s pitched in the game’s biggest cathedrals and he’s pitched on the game’s biggest stages over the course of his career. But just because it’s not new doesn’t mean it ever gets old.
“It was special,” he said, after he pitched six scoreless, two-hit innings to help the Tigers beat the Cubs 4-0 and win another series before a fired-up crowd of 40,343 at Comerica Park Sunday. “Anytime you fill a ballpark out for a whole series, it’s a lot of fun and it elevates our play. It’s just a lot of fun to be a part of.
“It’s great to play in front of these fans. They’ve been great all season and they’re going to be great the rest of the year.”
Given that the Tigers had the best record in the American League and the Cubs, along with the Mets, have been atop the National League, it gave the series a playoff feel, as the 121,509 fans who packed the park the last three days — with Cubs’ fans well-represented — would attest.
“It was a blessing to play in front of so many people and to play against that team,” said Kerry Carpenter, who contributed three hits and a pivotal defensive play. “It was fun to compete against them and I thought we gave our best. It was fun to come out with a series win and show that we can beat good teams, too.”
Flaherty, whose season has been uneven to this point, responded with his most complete outing to date.
“He got into the game so exceptionally well,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Nine up and nine down…Just a really good job of getting into the game, in a series-deciding matchup.”
The Cubs hit five home runs on Saturday, all of them off secondary pitches. Flaherty was certainly aware of that as he attacked early with a lively, well-located four-seam fastball that was sitting at 94 and hit 96 mph early in the game. Off of that, he was tying Cubs hitters in knots with a clever mix of knuckle-curves and sliders.
“You feel things out as the game goes on,” said Flaherty, who struck out nine. “But we were able to establish (the fastball) and spin off of that. Typically, that’s a good thing but it’s even better when you can command the ball, and outside of one inning, I did a good job of that.”
The Cubs whiffed on eight of 16 swings at the knuckle-curve. Five of his nine strikeouts were with that pitch. Conversely, with the hitters focused on the spin, Flaherty stole 17 called strikes with a four-seam fastball that he was locating on the edges and especially at the bottom of the strike zone.
“I just wanted to come out and give the team a chance to win,” he said. “That’s a good team over there and we had an opportunity to go out and win a series.”
Flaherty created a big mess for himself in the fourth with three walks.
“I just lost my arm in space, I guess,” he said. “Just lost it.”
But he got bailed out by his defense, specifically by a textbook play by Carpenter and catcher Dillon Dingler.
With runners at first and second, Pete Crow-Armstrong lashed a single to right. Carpenter fielded it cleanly and threw one-hop strike to Dingler. Dingler made a quick tag on Ian Happ, who tried to make a swing move at the plate.
“Just being aggressive on it,” Carpenter said. “It was an in-between hop, but once it hit the pocket (of his glove), I looked at Happ. I thought he’d be closer to home at that point. I don’t know if maybe he got a bad read or something. But I thought I had a chance.”
Dingler not only fielded the hop, he wasn’t fooled by the Happ’s attempt to evade the tag.
“I didn’t know how close it was going to be, but he couldn’t have made a better throw,” Dingler said. “That was awesome. Perfect little one hop right to me. I was nervous about the replay. I thought we had him out in real time, but you never know when replay comes into play.
“But yeah, I was happy it stood and it was a big momentum shift.”
Carpenter saved the game on Friday, getting back to the wall in right, leaping and stealing a potential extra base hit or homer from Seiya Suzaki with two runners on in the eighth.
“I’m seeing the game slow down for Carp a little bit,” Hinch said. “Whether it was getting back to the wall the other night and timing his jump or just having the confidence to finish the play. The key part of his play today was no panic, no stress, no hurry.
“You have to play fast but you can’t hurry. He just came up in a nice rhythm and made a nice throw. That was awesome.”
Carpenter, in classic form, wasn’t totally satisfied with the play.
“The throw was a little high,” he said. “So I was pretty upset that PCA (Crow-Armstrong) got to second base.”
Flaherty made sure that didn’t hurt. He got Michael Busch to line to Parker Meadows, who made a leaping catch in center field.
“Jack battled through an inning you may never see again,” Hinch said. “Three walks and a single and no runs.”
Detroit Tigers’ Javier Baez celebrates with second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) after a win over the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Detroit. (DUANE BURLESON — AP Photo)
After allowing a leadoff double to Dansby Swanson in the fifth, Flaherty struck out Nico Hoerner on a disputed fastball that looked to be out of the zone, and Matt Shaw, before retiring Happ to end the inning.
Hoerner and Cubs manager Craig Counsell were both ejected by home plate umpire Derek Thomas for arguing the call on Hoerner.
“It was huge to make the adjustment from my last time out when things may not have been as great,” Flaherty said. “I was bailed out by some really good defense then, too. But to come out today and be able to execute a lot better, that’s another step in the right direction.”
The Tigers’ offense was triggered by their two middle-order mainstays. Spencer Torkelson delivered a clutch, two-out, two-run double in the first. And Riley Greene, off a four-strikeout day Saturday, had two hits, including a two-run single in the seventh.
“He’s been earning that,” Carpenter said of Greene. “I keep telling him, he’s one at-bat away from the best streak of his career and today may have started it.”
“I do hope so,” said Greene, who broke out two new bats for the game and changed his walk-up song (Toby Keith). “Shoutout to Jake Rogers for helping me find a new walk-up song. But this was awesome. We were talking, that first night felt like the playoffs. It was so much fun and that’s what we love to do. We love to play in front of all these people in this ballpark.”
The series more than lived up to its billing.
“Incredible,” Hinch said. “That is exactly the environment we want to create for the rest of the summer. I’ve always said, we’re going to have a team you’re going to be proud of. And I trust and expect the fans to come out and support a team that is maturing and getting more confident.”
One concern, though: It was clear Carpenter wasn’t running comfortably.
“Just being cautious,” he said. “I don’t really feel much, just doing my best. The training staff and strength staff are doing such a good job. I was a little cautious today. Going as hard as I can, hard as I feel comfortable with.”
He was lifted for a pinch-runner in the seventh. He has been playing through some stiffness in his hamstring the last week.
“I just think mentally he’s trying to push through where he’s at,” Hinch said. “He had a really active day. I have to pay attention and make good decisions along the way.”
And so ends another grueling patch of the schedule for the Tigers (43-24). The win completes their second run of 23 games in 24 days this season.
They went 15-8 in their first 23-in-24 stretch and 14-9 in this one. Impressive. And the good news, they won’t have another stretch like this the rest of the season. In fact, they will be off on the next three Mondays.
“That will be welcomed by everybody,” Hinch said.