When Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman acquired 28-year-old right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for minor leaguers Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney this past Tuesday, it probably caused a good number of Dodgers fans to say: “Who?”

With the Tigers, the Burbank, CA native and first-round draft pick in 2014 by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Harvard-Westlake High School was having an impressive season, with a 7-5 record and 2.95 ERA over his 18 starts, during which he struck out 133, walked 19, and surrendered only 15 home runs to the 415 opposing batters he faced.

It also probably caused a good number of Dodgers fans to say:: “Where does Andrew Friedman find these guys?”

In his Dodgers debut against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum on Saturday evening, Flaherty did what very few Dodgers starters have done this season – he actually went six full innings.

“I was excited. I think we were all excited to see Jack take the mound and dawn his Dodger uniform, you know, as an active player, and he showed out really well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame. “I thought, you know, there was a quiet intensity to him, he was very focused, very controlled, and I just loved the way he used his entire pitch mix and fill up the strike zone, got strike one, got the swing-and-miss when he needed, used the fastball when he needed, I thought the curveball, the slider really played tonight … for him to go six innings, scoreless, was a hugh lift, you know, not only to our ballclub, but the bullpen in general,” added the Dodgers skipper.

In his six-inning Dodgers debut, Flaherty allow no runs and only five hits, while walking one and striking out seven of the 25 A’s batters he faced, doing so on 99 total pitches, of which 67 were strikes, en route to the Dodgers 10-0 shutout of Oakland, to earn his first win in a Dodgers uniform (number 0).

“Anytime you get a chance to help a team win, that’s kinda all that matters, that’s the important part of it,” Flaherty, who was born and raised a Dodgers fan, told reporters following his stellar Dodgers debut. “I’ll take the time tonight and kinda try to soak it all in, and just, you know, I’m just excited to be here and have a chance to help this team.”

As for those 10 Dodgers runs, the first and ultimately game-winning run came on a two-out two-run single to left by Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux in the top of the third inning.

Welcome Home, Jack!

…and welcome back to the win column, Dodgers!

Play Ball!

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