Flaherty (11-8) earned the win against the Cubs on Sunday, hurling seven scoreless innings and giving up two hits and one walk while striking out six.
Flaherty's gem was a fitting conclusion to a regular season in which the 23-year-old established himself as one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball. The right-hander needed only 69 pitches, 48 of which were strikes, to navigate seven easy innings and pick up the win to lead the Cardinals to the NL Central title. Flaherty finishes 2019 with an 11-8 record while ranking fourth in the National League in ERA (2.75), first in WHIP (0.97), first in BAA (.192) and sixth in strikeouts (231). He was downright dominant during the second half of the season, posting a minuscule 0.91 ERA and 0.71 WHIP over 15 starts. Flaherty will look to continue his stretch of success in the NLDS.