SEATTLE — There wouldn’t have been a word said or any trouble adjusting the rotation at all if Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty, his “heart heavy” according to his manager and his eyes red from spent tears, had told the team he couldn’t make his scheduled start Tuesday night.
The day before the game the Cardinals’ young starter learned his “good buddy,” mentor, and regular challenger Tyler Skaggs, a pitcher for the Angels, had been found dead in a hotel room in Texas. Flaherty mourned with friends, with family, and with baseball, and some of the 24 hours leading up to his start was spent on the phone.