WASHINGTON — Jack Flaherty, the new Cardinals ace, often has cited the guidance he has received from other club aces such as Adam Wainwright, not long removed from that role; Chris Carpenter, a little less recently the top pitcher on the club; and historic ace Bob Gibson.
But when Flaherty faces the Washington Nationals on Monday night in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, he will be the first of that group to try to win a postseason contest after his team had lost the first two games of a series. Of course, Gibson’s 1960s World Series teams never were more than one game behind in any series.