The St. Louis Cardinals might not have planned to reveal who would take the mound for them on Opening Day later this month on Tuesday, but star right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty went on and did it himself in a Zoom call with reporters.
Flaherty, who has burst onto the scene over the past two seasons as one of the top young pitchers in baseball, said that Cardinals manager Mike Shildt has decided on him as the man who will take the mound against the Pirates at home on July 24th.
As Flaherty put it, Shildt “should probably be the one to tell you guys, but oh well.”
The California native finished 4th in NL Cy Young Award voting last season after compiling an 11-8 record along with a 2.75 ERA for the NL Central champions. In 196.1 innings pitched, the hard-throwing righty vexed hitters to the tune of 231 strikeouts.
Flaherty figures to be the ace in the rotation for a Cardinals team that surprised many by making the playoffs next season and will look to build on his success over the past two seasons. At only 24-years-old player, the righty still has plenty of time to improve and establish himself as one of the best starters in the big leagues.
