Speaker 1: Well, it's been a long time coming for the Great
Speaker 1: one a to have another man in Dodger blue, and
Speaker 1: the one and only Harvard Westlake Jack Flaherty is with
Speaker 1: the Dodgers. Finally, Jack number one. Just your thoughts and
Speaker 1: emotions putting on this uniform today.
Speaker 2: I had special you know, growing up, and obviously you
Speaker 2: know everybody knows. I grew up Dodger fan. My mom's
Speaker 2: put the pictures out. We used to come to games,
Speaker 2: and it's a special thing. I think anybody, anytime anybody
Speaker 2: gets to play for a team that they grew up
Speaker 2: watching is is special. And I'm you know, I'm lucky
Speaker 2: enough to be here and be in this situation and
Speaker 2: I'm just looking forward to it.
Speaker 1: Did you ever believe that this could happen, that you
Speaker 1: and the Dodgers would find your way to pitch for
Speaker 1: them one day?
Speaker 2: You know, you like to hope, So you like to
Speaker 2: hope that you know, there's there's there's gonna be a chance,
Speaker 2: and there's going to be an opportunity for it to happen,
Speaker 2: and you know, for it to all come about in
Speaker 2: the way that it did and the way that that
Speaker 2: things happen. Sometimes you're just just thankful that that you
Speaker 2: get the ability to do it.
Speaker 1: It's got to feel good that people are seeing the
Speaker 1: real Jack Flaherty this year being healthy, right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's nice to be healthy and nice go
Speaker 2: out and pitch the way that I know I'm capable of.
Speaker 2: Last year was a tough year in a long year,
Speaker 2: but it's it's been a good, you know, start to
Speaker 2: the year. But there's a lot love to do.
Speaker 1: How have you handled this? I mean, you're on your
Speaker 1: fourth team in the last year. Obviously you're wanted, but
Speaker 1: how have you handled all the travel and the changes
Speaker 1: as far as teammates, teams all that.
Speaker 2: I think this one's definitely a little different. Having done
Speaker 2: it a year ago going to Baltimore and I didn't
Speaker 2: really know anybody over there. I've been lucky enough to
Speaker 2: have some relationships with some of the guys here and
Speaker 2: walking in feeling a little bit more familiar and knowing
Speaker 2: some guys and seeing some faces that you know, you've
Speaker 2: you've rather known around the league or just have been
Speaker 2: able to, you know, be in contact with and you
Speaker 2: know some other guys who you know aren't you know
Speaker 2: here right now, but that've gotten to know throughout the year,
Speaker 2: so it's it's a little bit different and you just
Speaker 2: kind of walk in here and feel comfortable, and you know,
Speaker 2: he just he look forward to getting things going.
Speaker 1: Hey, you're reinacited with your guy Tommy Edmond too.
Speaker 2: That's that's crazy. Yeah, seeing him, I ain't seen him
Speaker 2: in a while. Uh, you know, it's cool for him
Speaker 2: being down here. I know he's from from from around here,
Speaker 2: so he's really good to see him. And just uh, now,
Speaker 2: it's always special being with the guys that you've played
Speaker 2: with or guys that you know, and just you know,
Speaker 2: having having those relationships.
Speaker 1: What can you share with us about Tommy Edmund? We
Speaker 1: know a lot about Jack Flaherty, but how do you
Speaker 1: believe he helps the team get to where they want
Speaker 1: to go.
Speaker 2: I think he's shown it in Saint Louis. He'll do
Speaker 2: anything to help the team win. The guy on a
Speaker 2: gold glove at second base, and uh, you know, then
Speaker 2: they kind of moved him around. He came up playing
Speaker 2: you know, he played right, he played third, he played
Speaker 2: a little bit a second when when Wong was hurt,
Speaker 2: and then uh, he just kind of did it all
Speaker 2: and then you know, they moved him to short. They
Speaker 2: moved him to center. Like he can play of your position,
Speaker 2: he can do it really really well, and he'll continue
Speaker 2: just gonna do whatever it takes to to kind of
Speaker 2: help the team win. And that's that's the kind of
Speaker 2: guy that you want.
Speaker 1: Jack Flaherty is back home wearing Dodger blue. When you
Speaker 1: were growing up a Dodger fan, who was your guy?
Speaker 1: Because I know you must have had a guy, you
Speaker 1: know when.
Speaker 2: I was super young, Uh, Adrian Beltray was always fun
Speaker 2: to watch and I and I just told told, uh,
Speaker 2: Matt Kempis last night. I said, I told him that
Speaker 2: he was like the guy that I loved watching. I
Speaker 2: was a little bit older and like you know, in
Speaker 2: high school, but he was, uh when he was when
Speaker 2: he was here and in president and doing what he
Speaker 2: was doing, he was, Uh, he was special and so
Speaker 2: much fun to watch and and root four and like,
Speaker 2: you know, I was playing position at that time, and
Speaker 2: you know, want to be like kind of be like
Speaker 2: him and didn't play the game the way that he did.
Speaker 2: So those two guys, Beltray when I was younger, and
Speaker 2: then you know, Matt kemp Is as I got a
Speaker 2: little bit older.
Speaker 1: So you're saying Matt Kemp reached out to you to
Speaker 1: welcome you to the Dotor.
Speaker 2: I reached out to him and let him know. It
Speaker 2: was something that I don't tell people that a whole lot.
Speaker 2: And the second, you know, I got a chance to
Speaker 2: come here, I I I told him, I just said,
Speaker 2: now that I get a chance to wear it, Tod,
Speaker 2: you know, let you know that you uh like you
Speaker 2: were the guy that was it was fun to watch
Speaker 2: and was uh it was special special to see and
Speaker 2: he said congrats, and you know, just uh yeah, it
Speaker 2: was special.
Speaker 1: Also when you let your mom know that you were
Speaker 1: being traded to the Dodgers, what was her reaction.
Speaker 2: Uh, you know, she's mom, so she's uh, she got
Speaker 2: really excited. She gets she's emotional, so so she got
Speaker 2: emotional and just like I don't you know, she kind
Speaker 2: of didn't know if it was ever really gonna happen,
Speaker 2: and uh, you know, I think she was always she
Speaker 2: has hope for it. You want to always nice to
Speaker 2: to come home. It was always nice to come home
Speaker 2: and play in La and have the family come out
Speaker 2: and everything. But I think it was a little different hearing, like,
Speaker 2: you know, being able to do it and coming up
Speaker 2: growing up watching you know, this team and getting the
Speaker 2: chance to do it, and then you know, same thing
Speaker 2: to my brother. He sent me a nice long message
Speaker 2: last night too of just like he's like, I didn't
Speaker 2: know if it was ever gonna happen, but he's like,
Speaker 2: I'm really happy I get to actually, you know, cheer
Speaker 2: for the Dodgers and like cheer for you and not
Speaker 2: get Yeah, nicely, heckled when I when I met games, Uh,
Speaker 2: cheering for me going against him. So he's he's looking
Speaker 2: forward to it too.
Speaker 1: All right, before I let you go number one, you
Speaker 1: chose the jersey number zero? What's the meaning behind that?
Speaker 2: There's two there's two guys that I've always loved that
Speaker 2: play basketball that wear the number zero at I you know,
Speaker 2: one of them, you know, being Russ westbring me. He
Speaker 2: came out to l a well, first off, this in
Speaker 2: this becoming organization like this, and you've got a lot
Speaker 2: of Vetteran guys, so a bunch of really good numbers
Speaker 2: are taken, and uh, you know, it's just like it's
Speaker 2: it's slim pickings. But Danny was nice enough to let
Speaker 2: me take zero from him. But Russ worett. And then
Speaker 2: there's another guy out and uh, you know, in Boston,
Speaker 2: and I know how I know how it is l
Speaker 2: a in Boston, so I won't I won't say his name.
Speaker 2: He knows who he is. He's a friend of mine.
Speaker 2: He he he wears zero as well. So it was, uh,
Speaker 2: it was uh yeah, it just just kind of felt
Speaker 2: like it fit.
Speaker 1: He's got mom but mentality and I know you do too.
Speaker 2: You know what, you just you go out there and
Speaker 2: they just pitch a little bit edge and trying to
Speaker 2: keep that going.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Dodgers need some edge. Jack Flaherty brings it every
Speaker 1: time out. Thanks a lot for the time. Great to
Speaker 1: share you with the people on the streets of Ventura
Speaker 1: Boulevard right now listening, and great to have you back
Speaker 1: in Los Angeles and pitching for the Dodgers. For sure.
Speaker 2: I'm excited. I'm really really excited. I it's gonna be fun.