Former Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty shines in Tigers' crushing postseason loss

In what will go down as an October Classic, former St. Louis Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty was called upon by the Detroit Tigers in the 13th inning to keep their postseason hopes alive as they fought tooth and nail with the Seattle Mariners.

Tied at 2-2 after Leo Rivas' RBI single in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Tigers and Mariners went back and forth all night in a pitchers' duel, both sides squandering opportunities to put away the game at the hands of clutch pitching from a mixture of relievers and starting pitchers coming out of the bullpen in a winner-take-all game.

Flaherty, who was one of the final pitchers to enter the game, was called upon by Detroit to cover two innings of work with the game on the line. One mistake would allow the Mariners to storm the field in walk-off fashion, but Flaherty came up clutch when it mattered most.

Jack Flaherty came up clutch for the Tigers in their October Classic

In a winner-take-all game like Game 5 was, all hands are on deck for the chance to advance, but considering how high-pressure a spot that was and that Flaherty rarely comes out of the bullpen, it was a tough task for the right-hander to step into.

Flaherty covered the 13th and 14th innings, putting up zeros in each spot and striking out two batters while allowing three walks. Flaherty was able to navigate the tension of the moment, even with traffic on the bases, giving the Tigers ample opportunity to take the lead. Unfortunately, Tommy Kahnle, who relieved Flaherty in the 15th inning, gave up a walk-off single to Jorge Palanco, sending Seattle to their first ALCS since 2001.

For Flaherty, this was an especially important outing for him, as he gave up four runs (three earned) in 3.1 innings of work in Game 3 of the ALDS, taking the loss for the Tigers and putting them down two games to one in the series.

Seattle and Detroit are two of the most interesting teams in the American League moving forward, with both clubs boasting young cores and farm systems that could sustain their winning ways for years to come.

For Flaherty, he will have a tough decision to make this offseason, as he'll turn 30 this winter and has a $20 million player option that he could exercise. Flaherty made 31 starts for Detroit this year, posting a 4.64 ERA in 161 innings of work with a 27.6 K%. When Flaherty is on, he can be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, but he has struggled with consistency for years now.