Latest news with #Flaherty
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty takes 'step in right direction' in best start of 2025 season
Jack Flaherty had his worst slider. He doesn't know why. The 29-year-old just couldn't find a feel for it — not at any point in his 11th start of the season for the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, May 27, against the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park. Without his slider, Flaherty had to lean on his fastball and curveball. Advertisement It ended up being his best start of 2025. DETERMINED TO SUCCEED: Tigers' Jack Flaherty explains struggles: 'I won't stop until I figure it out' "The fastball was big," Flaherty said. For months, Flaherty has been working to solve the problem that separates bad starts from good ones — and good starts from great ones. It's the same problem that turns well-located fastballs into mistakes — the kind that get punished for home runs. The problem: His mechanics break down when he can't repeat his optimal delivery. The solution: He needs to consistently move down the mound in a way that sets up his ideal delivery. Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty in the dugout in between the first and second inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park, May 27, 2025 in Detroit. In Thursday's 3-1 win, Flaherty looked like he unlocked a repeatable delivery for the first time since re-signing with the Tigers this past February on a two-year, $35 million contract. The result: six scoreless innings, two hits, one walk, eight strikeouts. Advertisement It marked his second scoreless start of the season and his first since April 9. Flaherty owns a 3.94 ERA in 11 starts. "I got into every game with Jack thinking he's going to dominate," manager A.J. Hinch said of Flaherty, a nine-year MLB veteran who had a 4.39 ERA in his first 10 starts and allowed at least two runs in each of his last seven starts. "I'm proud of him because he does battle perfection, like a lot of guys do, but it doesn't faze him start to start. His reset button has gotten pretty good." [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Advertisement This time, repeating his delivery led to improved fastball command. "I'm continuing to try to move better," said Flaherty, whose fastball averages 92.8 mph, "and stay within myself and not try to do too much to make it happen. If I can execute, and if I can locate, it just opens up the rest of the arsenal." He also picked up added ride on the fastball. It's no surprise Giants hitters swung at 25 fastballs and missed seven times — a 28% whiff rate in his 11th start, up from just 12% on his fastball over his first 10 starts. That's a big jump. "For the most part, I just go off the swings of what the hitters are telling me," Flaherty said. "I'm not looking too much into the metrics of stuff, unless I really need to look at it. I'm just looking at what the swings are telling me. I was able to command it pretty well to both sides of the plate. Just another step in the right direction." In 2025, Flaherty has a 3.94 ERA with 19 walks and 72 strikeouts across 59⅓ innings in 11 starts. That's a step back from his 2024 campaign, when he posted a 3.17 ERA across 28 starts — including a 2.95 ERA, 19 walks and 133 strikeouts in 106⅔ innings with the Tigers before a late July trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Advertisement He had a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts in 2024, including a 2.95 ERA with 19 walks and 133 strikeouts across 106⅔ innings for the Tigers before a late July trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His performance in a Tigers uniform has dipped from last season to this season, as his strikeout rate is down from 32% to 29.9%, and his walk rate is up from 4.6% to 7.9%. But Flaherty is making progress, as exemplified by his fastball in Tuesday's start. "Being able to pitch off your fastball and get guys on their heels, it opens up everything else," Flaherty said. THE GAME: Jack Flaherty finds best fastball in Tigers' 3-1 win over Giants Advertisement Just like that, Flaherty looks to be on the doorstep of consistent dominance. It feels like Jack is back. "He does wear his emotions on his sleeve a little bit," Hinch said. "You can tell when he's fighting himself or when he's cruising. "But I think every time out he's going to be able to execute both spin and he's going to be able to throw a good fastball. From my seat, you kind of expect it from Jack." Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at Advertisement Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty uses fastball for best start of 2025
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Baseball America ranks every team 1-64 entering 2025 NCAA Tournament: Where is Clemson?
Baseball America ranks every team 1-64 entering 2025 NCAA Tournament: Where is Clemson? After a five-year drought, the Clemson Tigers are hosting an NCAA Tournament regional for the third consecutive season and will face No. 4 seed USC Upstate in its regional opener Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers (44-16 overall), ranked No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and No. 11 by the NCBWA, have the same win total entering the tournament as they finished with in each of the previous two seasons. USC Upstate (36-23) clinched its first NCAA regional bid by winning the Big South conference tournament, 14-2, over Charleston Southern. The No. 24 West Virginia Mountaineers (41-14) and Kentucky Wildcats (29-24) are also in Clemson's regional as the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively. How dangerous is Clemson entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Baseball America analyst Peter Flaherty ranked all 64 teams in the field earlier this week. Flaherty has Clemson in his 10 best teams at No. 10. "Head coach Erik Bakich has done a remarkable job since taking the reins of the program prior to the 2023 season. After not hosting a regional since 2018, 2025 marks the third consecutive season that the Tigers have accomplished that feat. Clemson was one game away from hoisting the ACC tournament championship for the second time in three seasons, and its 21 total conference victories marked the third-straight season it's won 20 or more ACC games. The Tigers' 24 Quadrant 1 and 2 wins are also an impressive mark. They haven't made it to the College World Series since 2010, though this could be the year they break down the door to Omaha." Baseball America ranked the Tigers one spot below the streaking Ole Miss Rebels (40-19), the SEC Tournament runner-up. Clemson was ranked one spot ahead of the Georgia Bulldogs (42-15), a team they blanked 3-0 in midweek play on April 22 after Georgia had been near the top of the top 25 polls. Is Clemson on upset alert entering 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament? The Tigers' regional includes the Big 12 regular season champion, an SEC team that had series wins over fellow NCAA tournament teams Tennessee and Oklahoma during the regular season, and a USC Upstate team that scored 34 runs over three games to win the Big South championship. Baseball America listed six teams on upset watch entering the tournament. A team from South Carolina made the list, but it wasn't Clemson. No. 11 Coastal Carolina (48-11), who defeated the Tigers twice in the regular season in midweek play, was named a team to watch for an upset, along with No. 6 Georgia and No. 8 Florida State (38-14). First pitch for Clemson vs. USC Upstate Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
UL Chief Commercial Officer resigns from role
The University of Limerick's Chief Commercial Officer has resigned. Staff at the university were informed in an email from Chancellor Brigid Laffan late yesterday evening that Andrew Flaherty was resigning with immediate effect. The email stated that Mr Flaherty had also resigned all directorships and offices associated with or connected to the university. Last year, the university was rocked by a scandal centred on the purchases of properties at grossly inflated prices. In relation to the purchase of 20 houses intended for student accommodation the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) last September found "no evidence of proper, objective appraisal of the options of the kind that should have been available to decision makers, including the Governing Authority members, when they were asked to approve the acquisition". Mr Flaherty was appointed to the role of Chief Commercial Officer in October 2020. According to the UL website, as Chief Commercial Officer he had responsibility to lead commercial operations of the university, in addition to responsibility for Buildings and Estates, Strategic support for the realisation of the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) venture and other commercially focused projects.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jack Flaherty finds best fastball in Detroit Tigers' 3-1 win over SF Giants
Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty has been working behind the scenes for months on his mechanics, searching to repeat his optimal delivery in games. That search has led to some struggles. Everything clicked into place Tuesday, May 27, against the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park. The 29-year-old guided the Tigers to a 3-1 win with his best performance of the 2025 season, delivering six scoreless innings. Advertisement Flaherty — who threw 97 pitches — struck out eight batters while allowing just two hits and one walk. His fastball command was the biggest beneficiary of his repeatable delivery. His fastball was the best it's been in 2025. Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Comerica Park on May 27, 2025 in Detroit. The Tigers (36-20) scored one run apiece in the first, second and third innings to support Flaherty's strong start. Wenceel Pérez hit a solo home run in his return from the injured list, creating damage on the third pitch he saw with his first swing; Riley Greene — hitting .280 with an .850 OPS this season — finished 3-for-4 with one single, two doubles and two RBIs. Advertisement But Flaherty deserves credit for his poise on the mound, especially after working around leadoff singles — one from Mike Yastrzemski in a grueling 26-pitch first inning and another from Willy Adames in a smoother eight-pitch second inning. Those were the only two hits against him. He also retired the final 11 batters he faced, including five strikeouts during that stretch. Flaherty owns a 3.94 ERA in 11 starts. [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Riley Greene rakes Giants right-hander Logan Webb — an All-Star last season and a top-six finisher in National League Cy Young voting in the past two seasons — allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts across six innings, throwing 104 pitches. Advertisement The Tigers made him work in the early innings. Webb used 49 pitches to complete two innings, then 71 pitches to complete three innings. In the first, Greene doubled off Webb's down-and-in changeup to score Gleyber Torres for a 1-0 lead. In the second, Pérez cranked a solo home run off Webb's middle-in sinker for a 2-0 lead. In the third, Greene singled off Webb's middle-in cutter to score Colt Keith for a 3-0 lead. The three hits from Greene: a double with a 114.5 mph exit velocity in the first inning, a single with a 94.8 mph exit velocity in the third inning and a double with a 104.7 mph exit velocity in the fifth inning. Advertisement Greene has 38 RBIs in 54 games. He is on pace for a career-high 110 RBIs this season. Getting to the finish line Flaherty exited after six innings. That meant the Tigers' bullpen needed to cover the final three innings, protecting a 3-0 advantage. Right-handed reliever Chase Lee took down the first two innings, inducing a double play for the first and second outs in the eighth. He then struck out Yastrzemski swinging with an 88.5 mph four-seam fastball at the top of the strike zone. In the ninth, right-handed reliever Will Vest allowed back-to-back hits to Heliot Ramos (single) and Wilmer Flores (RBI double) — trimming the Tigers' lead to 3-1 — but he retired the next three batters for his seventh save in nine opportunities. Advertisement Vest has emerged as the Tigers' preferred option for save situations. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers game: Jack Flaherty's best outing in 3-1 win vs Giants
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
University of Limerick official who led €5.2m overspend on houses resigns
Andrew Flaherty, UL's chief commercial officer (CCO), led UL's €12.65m purchase of 20 homes at Rhebogue which was criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and the Dáil's public spending watchdog. UL chancellor, Professor Brigid Laffan, wrote to university staff this evening informing them Mr Flaherty had tendered his resignation. 'The university has accepted that resignation,' Prof Laffan added. 'The CCO has also resigned from all directorships and offices associated with or connected to the university.' Prof Laffan said Mr Flaherty's resignation was effective from today. Mr Flaherty's future at the university was drawn into question last year after a Sunday Independent investigation raised concerns about the property deal. The C&AG said UL overspent €5.2m on the homes. The houses are the subject of a planning row between the university and Limerick city and county council because there is no permission to house students in the properties. An Bord Pleanála is currently deliberating on the matter. Mr Flaherty was placed on administrative leave last June. That came two weeks after then-UL president, Kerstin Mey, resigned after students and staff said they had no confidence in her leadership over her role in the deal. She has since moved to a new professoriate role at the university. UL has previously said it does not comment on personal and human resource matters. Mr Flaherty has been approached for comment. He was criticised last year by members of the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee over previously failing to attend a meeting with it to discuss other matters at the university. It later emerged he had been in Dublin, watching the meeting remotely while sending text messages to colleagues while they spoke with TDs. Labour TD, Alan Kelly, said Mr Flaherty's absence from the meeting was 'like an episode of Hamlet without the prince'. 'The prince was across the road in some establishment texting people here the last time. The prince is not here this time,' he added.
