DETROIT (AP) — Jack Flaherty tied an American League record with seven straight strikeouts to open a game and struck out a career-high 14 before the St. Louis Cardinals rallied with a two-run ninth inning against the Tigers bullpen to beat the Detroit 2-1 in a doubleheader opener Tuesday.
Flaherty’s game-opening seven strikeouts matched the AL record shared by Joe Cowley of the 1986 Chicago White Sox, Carlos Rodón of the 2016 White Sox, Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell in 2018 and Seattle’s Luis Castillo two years ago. Miami Marlins right-hander Pablo López set the major league record by striking out the first nine batters of a game in 2021.
Pitching against his first big league team, Flaherty kept the Cardinals off balance and flailing at four-seam fastballs and knuckle-curveballs.
The 28-year-old matched the most strikeouts in the majors this season and the most for the Tigers since Max Scherzer had 14 against Pittsburgh in an eight-inning outing on Aug. 14, 2014.
Riley Green hit a fourth-inning home run off Kyle Gibson.
Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Burleson had one-out singles in the ninth, with Burleson’s driving in the tying run off Shelby Miller (3-3). Pedro Pages followed with a go-ahead sacrifice fly.
Matthew Liberatore (1-1) struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth, and Ryan Helsley fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 10th save in as many chances.
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