Jack Flaherty provides extensive injury update and talks about Dodgers’ World Series mentality

Jack Flaherty is scheduled to pitch Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium if necessary on Wednesday.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers entering Game 4 on Tuesday with a 3-0 lead, there is a possibility he won’t be needed, but that won’t stop him from continuing his preparation.

“I’m concerned about our guys taking care of business today, and my job is to prepare for tomorrow,” Flaherty said Tuesday. “I have to focus on what I have to do to prepare for tomorrow and convince these guys tonight. I have to keep my mentality there.”

Flaherty allowed five hits and two earned runs while striking out six in 5.1 innings in Game 1. He also had to work through some hamstring soreness as he got deeper into the game.

“It has added some extra work that I normally wouldn’t have to do, but I feel good today, felt good yesterday in my bullpen,” he said of the injury. “Right now it’s not something I’m worried about.”

Flaherty has fully embraced his role at his hometown club. When he was acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline, he was expected to compliment an already good starting rotation. But after injuries to Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone and Clayton Kershaw, he had to become the ace.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was impressed with Flaherty’s overall performance, aside from “one bad pitch” in Game 1.

In the sixth inning, after a 1-2 count, Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer down the left field line off Flaherty, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead and leading Roberts to pull Flaherty from the game.

The bullpen came in and limited the Yankees to one more run the rest of the way in the 10th inning.

Pitching has been infectious this postseason, from the rotation to the bullpen. It looks like the Dodgers have really figured out how to pass the ball from one guy to the next.

“I think pitching can be contagious too,” Flaherty said when making the comparison to hitting being contagious. “Whether or not it started with Walker starting in Game 3 against San Diego, where things happened that inning the way they happened, but we thought he threw the ball very, very well.

“Then you look at the next inning what the bullpen did. And from there what they were able to do in that game. Then you look at Yama and what he did, and what he conveyed.

“It’s been one thing after another in that regard, and it’s also just picking up the last guy. It’s something we have to continue to do, and we still have a lot of work to do.”

The first pitch on Tuesday evening is scheduled for 5:08 PT.