Recently traded pitchers impressed in debuts with new teams
With a flurry of moves made at the trade deadline on Tuesday, players are starting to make their debuts, and these pitchers wasted no time winning over their new fans.
Jack Flaherty, pitcher, Baltimore Orioles: Currently in the middle of his best stretch of baseball in 2023, Flaherty continued his success in his first start with his new club.
Traded to the Orioles from the St. Louis Cardinals for three minor league prospects, Flaherty went six innings with eight strikeouts and allowed one run on four hits for the American League East leaders.
Once thought to be the future ace of the Cardinals, he has struggled with injuries since a breakout second half in 2019 where he had a 0.91 ERA and allowed opposing hitters to hit a minuscule .142 against him during that run.
With the Orioles only two games up on the Tampa Bay Rays for first place, Flaherty will play a crucial role in the success of the team as they push for the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Michael Lorenzen, pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies: In his first start as a member of the Phillies, Lorenzen was all they could have expected and more.
Going eight innings with five strikeouts while allowing two runs on six hits. Lorenzen joined Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola as the only Phillies pitchers to last eight innings this season, the only difference was he did it in his first start with the team.
Lorenzen credited catcher J.T. Realmuto for his success in his debut, he was quoted telling NBC Sports reporter John Clark that "J.T. did an incredible job for his first time catching me. Hats off to him, I didn't shake him off once."
Acquired from the Detroit Tigers for infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee, he joins a team in the middle of a battle for the playoffs after being the lone All-Star representative for the below-.500 Tigers this season.
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