How this Hall of Famer impacted Flaherty

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LAKELAND, Fla. – Few Major League clubs know better than the Tigers how much a young player can gain from an interaction with a Hall of Famer. Countless Tigers infielders have come through the farm system having worked on fielding with Alan Trammell. Al Kaline took many young Tigers outfielders under his wing over his years as a special assistant, and Nick Castellanos wore his No. 6 as a tribute during his half-season with the Cubs in 2019.

So when Jack Flaherty chose No. 45 after signing with the Tigers as a free agent, it sparked some thought. No, he wasn’t inspired by former Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder, who wore 45 throughout his Detroit tenure in the 1990s. But 45 was Bob Gibson’s number for most of his Hall of Fame career in St. Louis.

That played at least a part in Flaherty’s thinking.

“Nine was the number I wore growing up, and four and five add up,” Flaherty said. “But it doesn’t hurt that Gibson wore 45, or that [the late Angels pitcher] Tyler Skaggs wore 45. It was good to have that along with it. When you go through picking numbers, there’s always some meaning to it.”

Gibson played a role in Flaherty’s career. Like Kaline and Trammell, Gibson remained involved with his only Major League club after his playing days. He was a special instructor with the Cardinals for over 20 years, including Flaherty’s early years in the system after the Cards drafted him in the first round out of high school in 2014.

When Gibson returned to Busch Stadium for a Hall of Fame ceremony in August 2018, he wanted to meet the rookie who was on a midsummer tear. Flaherty took advantage, asking questions, learning how Gibson saw the game, approached the game. He saw through the intimidating presence and found an amazing pitching mind from which to draw.

"We talked pitching. He said, 'I like what you're doing. You have a real good slider,'" Flaherty said at the time. "I asked him what his mentality was every time he went out, how he went about throwing nine innings every time, how he went about managing his time in between starts."

Gibson left his phone number and email address in Flaherty’s locker. Flaherty kept in touch and continued to seek advice.

“How to pitch, how to approach the game, the way to go about attacking hitters was his big thing,” Flaherty said. “Owning the plate and getting ahead and going right after guys. There’s a lot of bits and pieces you can take. I learned a lot of things from those conversations.”

Many Tigers fans of a certain generation, of course, will remember Gibson as perhaps the ultimate nemesis. When Detroit won the American League pennant in 1968, its biggest question heading into the World Series was how to get past Gibson, who posted an incredible 1.12 ERA that season on the way to NL MVP and Cy Young honors. He tossed three complete-game victories in the 1967 World Series, including a 10-strikeout gem in Game 7 at Boston.

Gibson struck out 17 Tigers in a five-hit shutout in Game 1, then came back four days later with a one-run, 10-strikeout performance at Tiger Stadium in Game 4 to put the Cardinals on the verge of repeating as champions. The Tigers, of course, rallied from there, culminating in Mickey Lolich outpitching Gibson in Game 7.

“He may not have talked to you if you were on the other team,” Flaherty joked, “but when it came to us and myself, he was willing and able.”

Gibson passed away in 2020 at age 84. His lessons go on with Flaherty, who could reignite his career with one of Gibson’s old rivals.

“It was a special relationship to have, just to learn from him and take those things,” Flaherty said. “I was very lucky.”

So after signing with Detroit, Flaherty acquired No. 45 from fellow Tigers right-hander Reese Olson, who had been given the number a year earlier. Olson said he exchanged it for future considerations, including jerseys for family members with his new number 40.