Though he is a starting pitcher on the best team in the American League right now, 2025 has not gone exactly how Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty likely drew up his return to the Motor City after claiming his first World Series ring last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The righty out of Burbank, CA is currently 5-9 on the season with a 4.84, neither of which could really be considered positive in today's game.
However, one notable Detroit has really not been pleased with Flaherty's performance since his return to the Tigers, and that name would be Detroit Lions and Pistons radio broadcaster Mark Champion, who simply commented on X Wednesday night saying, "Flaherty a little sketchy these days."
(1) Mark Champion on X: "Flaherty a little sketchy these days" / X
This would come after the former St. Louis Cardinal allowed two runs in the first inning of Detroit's 9-4 loss to the Washington Nationals in the second game of a doubleheader.
Despite allowing three runs in his five innings of work, Flaherty would strike out nine hitters, which Champion would also go on to praise on X.
Flaherty has been looking for a return to form for a while, a return to how he was with St. Louis, finishing fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting in 2019 behind Max Scherzer, Hyun Jin Ryu, and the eventual winner, Jacob deGrom after going 11-8 with 231 strikeouts.
And with him sharing bump days with the reigning AL Cy Young Award in Tarik Skubal, Tiger fans are hoping that Flaherty's elite production from his right arm will make a return soon as the Tigers continue to hold a comfortable lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and are well on their way towards a deep playoff run, something they haven't had since players like Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, and Justin Verlander were on the team.