Dodgers' Flaherty starting Game 1 vs. Yankees, Yamamoto gets Game 2
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty will start Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the ball in Game 2, the team announced, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
Flaherty will oppose New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who was announced as the AL champions' Game 1 starter on Monday. New York has yet to name its Game 2 starter.
"It'll be fun. It'll be exciting," Flaherty, a Los Angeles native, said, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
He added: "There's no bigger stage than this, what we all wanted to do as kids."
Flaherty's World Series debut comes on the heels of his disastrous start in Game 5 of the NLCS that saw him tie a playoff record by allowing eight runs without a strikeout. However, he's also shown some flashes of brilliance during this postseason. In Game 1 of the NLCS, he shut out the Mets on two hits over seven innings.
Flaherty, 29, joined the Dodgers in a deadline-day trade with the Detroit Tigers and provided some much-needed stability to their rotation down the stretch, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 10 regular-season starts with L.A. He owns a 7.20 ERA and 1.60 IP over three postseason appearances.
Yamamoto, 26, authored a 5.11 ERA with 11 strikeouts in his three playoff starts so far. He gave up five earned runs in Game 1 of the NLDS against San Diego, but he surrendered only two in 9 1/3 innings after that and struck out eight in Game 4 of the NLCS.
While this will be Yamamoto's first World Series, it's not his first time pitching in a championship. He was the ace of the Orix Buffaloes when they won the Japan Series in 2022.
The Dodgers have not announced the rest of their rotation for the series, but Walker Buehler will start either Game 3 or 4 at Yankee Stadium. The contest Buehler doesn't start will be a bullpen game, manager Dave Roberts said, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. However, the order is still being determined.
By starting Game 1, Flaherty also lines up to pitch a potential Game 5 in New York, while Yamamoto would be on track for a second start in Game 6.