Detroit Tigers fans have seen this movie before. Jack Flaherty cruises through five innings, then falls apart in the sixth. This time, the collapse helped snap a seven-game losing streak for the Angels. Did manager A.J. Hinch wait too long to pull the plug?
Flaherty’s Sixth-Inning Curse Continues
There’s no sugarcoating it—Jack Flaherty’s third time through the lineup has been a nightmare in 2025. Opponents are hitting .393 against him with a staggering 12.71 ERA in those situations. On Saturday, the numbers held true. Flaherty was dominant through five, striking out eight and keeping hitters off balance with a sharp knuckle-curve.
Then came the sixth inning.
Three straight hits—including two singles and a walk—opened the door. Before Hinch made a move, the damage was done. Four runs crossed the plate, and the Tigers went from leading to chasing in a hurry.
Hinch Defends His Decision
Hinch chalked the meltdown up to location issues and a poorly timed walk. “The location, an ill-timed walk, that’s when it started,” he said postgame. He acknowledged the walk extended the inning, giving the Angels life. But the question remains: With a known trend, why leave Flaherty in that long?
Was It an A.J. Hinch Mistake in Tigers Loss?
Given Flaherty’s recent history—like his outing in Houston earlier this week where he unraveled in the sixth—it’s fair to wonder if Hinch overestimated how long the right-hander could go. Flaherty himself admitted he’s still searching for how to carry early success into the later innings.
“I’ve got to figure it out,” Flaherty said as quoted by The Detroit News. “I don’t know what’s going on there.”
Meanwhile, the offense struggled against veteran Kyle Hendricks, who baffled the Tigers with soft stuff. Detroit managed just two singles through seven innings before Spencer Torkelson broke through with a solo homer in the eighth. Too little, too late.
The Big Picture
Flaherty is clearly talented, and there’s a lot to like about his stuff. But when patterns emerge—especially ones backed by stats—it becomes the manager’s job to adjust. In this case, Hinch’s decision to stick with Flaherty may have cost the Tigers a win. That said, the Tigers were only able to put up two runs of their own, so they may have been destined to lose regardless of what Hinch did.
The Bottom Line
Jack Flaherty has the tools. A.J. Hinch has the experience. But sometimes trusting the data is more important than trusting the gut. If the Tigers are serious about contending, Hinch may need to start pulling the plug earlier—even if a pitcher looks sharp. Because in this league, history tends to repeat itself. And in Flaherty’s case, that history lives in the sixth inning.
