MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES VS DODGERS

October 29, 2024

Jack Flaherty

Yankee Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. How are things going since things tightened up in terms of where you're at and where you want to be?

JACK FLAHERTY: In a good spot, looking forward to getting ready for tomorrow and just keeping things one day at a time. Making sure that we make the adjustments that are necessary after Game 1, especially learning after the last time how the NLCS went and just trying to make some adjustments.

Q. What does that mean for you specifically?

JACK FLAHERTY: Just sticking to what we do and being able to make sure we don't try to do too much and make sure that we can slow the game down a little bit and just make sure we take things one pitch at a time. Kind of take that same mindset from the first game and go into it but be able to make adjustments on the fly.

Q. Dave had said your hamstring tightened up on you over the course of that start. Is that something you had to be mindful of during the week? Is it inhibiting you?

JACK FLAHERTY: It's caused a little extra work that I normally wouldn't have to do, but I'm feeling good today, felt good yesterday during my bullpen. At this point, it's not anything I'm worried about.

Q. Obviously over the years you competed against the Dodgers for a while. Is there anything when you got here that maybe surprised you, that stood out to you immediately just walking into that clubhouse or just being around it every single day?

JACK FLAHERTY: No, nothing really. I think a lot of people like to make it seem that it wasn't the most close-knit group and that it was just, you know, maybe not as tight as some other clubhouses and locker rooms. From the outside looking in, it just never seemed like the case. It seemed like they were all in it together and the way they went about their business.

You could see like even from an approach standpoint as a team and the way they seem to have each other's backs, and the way they always -- it always seemed that as the game got later on -- I had a handful of them just watching from the other side. As we got later into the game and a starter came out, if they were down, they found a way to rally and they were never out of it.

That's a sign of a team that sticks together, and that's the way that it's been since I walked in day one in San Diego and all throughout up until this point.

Q. When you look at the Dodgers now, the additions they made at the deadline, yourself and Edman and Kopech have just been huge. Can you just sort of tell me about the impact you've seen the three of you guys make on this team down the stretch?

JACK FLAHERTY: That's what -- you know, try not to make things too big at least for myself when I came over here. My job was to go out and try to win some ball games, give the team a chance to win every time I went.

And then it was just a matter of time once Tommy got healthy that -- I've seen it. I got to play with that guy for a handful of years, watch what he did when he came up in 2019 and was starting playoff games for us. So for me, I'm not surprised at what he's done.

It's awesome to see him continuing to do what he's doing after dealing with some injuries the last couple of years. Just because a guy's injured a little bit doesn't mean he has stopped working or that talent has gone away. Tommy is someone who's worked continuously hard over and over again.

I've known Kopech for a long time, same high school class. It's been awesome to see what he's able to do. That guy, he's gone through a lot away from the field. And then what he's able to do coming over here and not trying to do too much and embracing his role in the pen and pitching some really big innings has been nothing short of sensational. All those guys have been great.

Then everybody has stepped up. You look at Walker too, what he's been able to do once he came back and got through a couple of those bumps and bruises and what he's been able to do on this little stretch has been -- that's Walker. They tried to say turn back the clock on what he did, but for me, just -- the guy's had two TJs, and he's going to go out and give you everything he's got. It's been fun to be a part of it.

Q. There have been a number of moments specifically where things could have gone terribly wrong, whether it's injuries or other things like that. What do you think has allowed you guys to always end up seemingly on the right side of those inflection points?

JACK FLAHERTY: I mean, there's been a lot of them. You look, and we're down 2-1 to San Diego. That isn't to say this thing's over with. We've still got a long ways to go. This series is far from over. It's a really good team over there.

But this team has been a bunch of fighters. Doc's done a really good job of keeping us all together no matter who's gone down or what the road may be. But this team has come together and has just really played for each other. I think that's the simplest thing.

Q. When you guys talk about the clubhouse culture, how much of that starts with Mookie and Freddie and Shohei? When you look at three guys as big of stars as they are, what do you think allows them to coexist as well as they have in this group and kind of be leaders in that room?

JACK FLAHERTY: I mean, they're selfless individuals. That's who they are. That's who they've always been. They are some of the top guys in the sport and have been for a long time. You've got multiple MVPs there. Probably guys could have had a couple more.

But they show up and they work, and I think that's the thing you can take from those guys, and it just carries over to everybody else. At least for myself, when you see them show up, when you see what Freddie's gone through with the ankle injury and how early he's getting there and the time he's taken away from his family, especially with what's gone on this year, it just makes everybody want to jump on board.

Credit to those guys. Credit to everybody in there, from Munce and Kersh and Kiké, you could go up-and-down the team, and everybody has played a role.

Q. Just wanted to get your take on the fact that you guys are up 3-0 against a pretty good team in the Yankees, more than just a pretty good team. Are you kind of surprised that it's kind of -- you're one game away from sweeping -- you're at this point in the series? Did you expect the series to play out this way?

JACK FLAHERTY: I'm not worried about how I expected the series to play out. I'm just worried about getting one more. We know we've got to continue to play really good baseball in order to get that done because those guys aren't going to go away quietly.

You can see it at the end there. Last inning, Verdugo puts together a really good at-bat, and Gleyber puts together a really good at-bat. I'm not worried about how it's gone up to this point. I'm just worried about trying to get one more.

Q. What in the last three months have you learned about Freddie the person that you didn't know about him as Freddie the player, watching him from across the diamond?

JACK FLAHERTY: That's a good question. I've heard good things about him -- knowing Max Fried really well and they played together -- and he just talked about how awesome Freddie was. That may sound like a simple description for it, but he really is just one of those guys that has been unbelievable to be around, sit down, talk to. Even if it's not baseball, just anything else that goes on. He's a good dude.

I kind of assumed that playing against him and hearing everything that Max had to say about him, and he's just one of the guys and somebody that loves this game and really enjoys it and shows up every day.

Q. What are some of the non-baseball things you never expected to talk about that you heard about with him?

JACK FLAHERTY: I keep that between me and him. It's been fun to be around him.

Q. I know when it comes to the hitting side of the game, they often tell you hitting is contagious. But the rotation in this series, how have you all, whether it's been building off of each other, conversations you've all had amongst each other -- because I think externally that was maybe the question mark, the starting rotation going into this one -- and you all have been absolutely excellent.

JACK FLAHERTY: I think pitching can be contagious too. Whether or not it started with Walker's start in Game 3 against San Diego where things happened that inning the way that they happened, but we thought he threw the ball really, really well.

Then you look to the next inning what the bullpen did. And from there, what they were able to do in that game. Then you look to Yama and what he did, and kind of carrying over.

You just want to pick up after the next guy. If someone has a rough night, then the next guy is going to pick you up. That goes for everything in this game. Somebody doesn't get a job at the plate, the next guy is going to pick him up. Bullpen guys leaves a couple guys on or a starter come out of the game with runners on, next guy is going to come in is going to pick us up.

It's been one after the other in terms of that, and it's also been just picking the last guy up. It's something we've got to continue to do, and we've still got a lot of work to do.

Q. Is it weird or awkward at all preparing to pitch a Game 5 while hoping like heck you don't have to pitch a Game 5?

JACK FLAHERTY: No, I'm not. I'm worried about our guys going out and taking care of business today, and my job is to get ready for tomorrow. I've got to focus on what I've got to do to get ready for tomorrow and root these guys on tonight. I've got to keep my mindset right there.