Dodgers to start Jack Flaherty, Yankees tap Gerrit Cole for World Series Game 1

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Jack Flaherty will be the Dodgers’ starting pitcher for Game 1 of the World Series, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese star acquired by the Dodgers this season, will start Game 2.

The Yankees have already announced reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole as their starter to launch the series Friday at Dodger Stadium.

Both starters are Southern California natives. Flaherty is from Burbank and played for Harvard-Westlake. Cole grew up in Orange County and pitched for Orange Lutheran High School. He was drafted by the Yankees out of high school but elected to attend UCLA before turning pro.

This year’s Dodgers-Yankees matchup marks the first time the two teams have met in a World Series since 1981, though they have a storied rivalry dating back to the Dodgers’ time in Brooklyn. This year marks the 12th time they’ve faced off for the championship, more than any other two teams. The Dodgers won that last matchup, but the Yankees hold the edge overall with eight championships in the rivalry.

Flaherty, a Southern California native, was acquired by the Dodgers earlier this year. He is 1-2 in the 2024 postseason with a 7.04 ERA.