The Los Angeles Dodgers dominated the New York Mets in Game 6 of the NLCS, winning the National League Pennant. The Dodgers are moving on to face the New York Yankees in the World Series, in a showdown featuring baseball’s two best players Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

The Yankees will send ace Gerrit Cole to the mound for Game 1 of the Fall Classic and today Los Angeles announced the team will give Jack Flaherty the ball for the opening game of the World Series, according to Dodgers insider Matthew Moreno on X. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 2 for the Dodgers, per MLB.

Flaherty’s results this postseason have been a mixed bag. The eighth-year veteran started Game 1 of the NLCS and was brilliant against the Mets, picking up a win in the 9-0 victory after going seven innings and allowing no runs on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. However, Flaherty seemed like a different pitcher in Game 5 of the Championship Series. He only lasted three innings as the Mets lit him up for eight runs on eight hits. He walked four batters and failed to record a strikeout.

The Mets won Game 5 by a score of 12-6, keeping their season alive and forcing the Dodgers to employ a bullpen game when the series shifted back to LA. The loss dropped Flaherty’s postseason record in 2024 to 1-2 and his ERA ballooned up to 7.04 in the playoffs.

The Dodgers have tapped Jack Flaherty as Game 1 starter in the World Series

Oct 18, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (0) pitches against the New York Mets during the second inning of game five of the NLCS during the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field.
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The Dodgers are hoping they’ll get the regular season version of Flaherty when they take on the powerful Yankees’ lineup. Splitting time between the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles, the 29-year-old pitcher was 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.068 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 and an ERA+ of 127. The Dodgers added Flaherty in a trade with the Tigers at the deadline.

The midseason acquisition has been asked to take on a bigger role with the team due to injuries to LA’s starting pitchers. However, it is somewhat of a surprise that the Dodgers are rolling with Flaherty in Game 1 after his meltdown in the NLCS. The team is going with the longtime St. Louis Cardinals pitcher over other starting options Walker Buehler and Yamamoto.

The Yankees vs. Dodgers matchup will make for a high-profile World Series, which could be a test of baseball’s popularity compared to other sports. The two teams will unquestionably bring star power to the series as both Judge and Ohtani will participate in their first World Series.

It’s the 13th time these two storied franchises have competed for a title. And according to Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts, “It’s what the people wanted.” The 2024 World Series will begin Friday evening in Los Angeles.