New York Yankees ace Max Fried has been nothing short of remarkable this season. After the team’s 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, the southpaw lowered his season ERA to 1.01, which is the best in baseball.
Fried tossed seven scoreless innings while recording six strikeouts and allowing just one hit. The 31-year-old also lowered his WHIP to 0.94 on the season.
“He’s just so versatile out there, and it continues to show up for us,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
Since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues in 1913, the only other MLB left-handed pitcher to have more wins than earned runs allowed over his first seven starts with a team was Fernando Valenzuela with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. Fried has six wins and five earned runs on the season.
“I’ve got great teammates that have welcomed me since day one in spring,” Fried said when asked how he’s gotten so comfortable so quickly with his new team.
The April AL Pitcher of the Month hasn’t allowed an earned run since his start against the Kansas City Royals on April 15. He is also an MLB-leading 6-0.
Fried’s seven-pitch mix has been devastating all season long, leaving hitters unbalanced. Whether he’s pitching in The Bronx or on the road, he gives the Yankees the best chance to win when he’s on the bump.
Going into the night, at Yankee Stadium, Fried had an ERA of 2.08 and WHIP of 1.33 in three games. He fanned 14 batters and allowed 17 hits while walking just six. Fried has been lights out on the road, pitching to a 0.44 ERA, 0.79 WHIP while striking out 19 and allowing just a single run in 20.1 innings.
To further emphasize his dominance, in his 28 career starts against teams in the AL, he has a record of 20-3 and an ERA of 1.73.
In Fried’s last start against Tampa Bay, he pitched 7.2 scoreless innings and had a no-no bid erased ahead of the eighth inning on a scoring change.
In two starts against the division rival this season, Fried has pitched 14.2 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and four walks while striking out eight.
Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner struck out on Juan Soto and immediately pivoted to Fried, signing him to an eight-year, $218 million contract.
That investment has paid off through the first month of the season, but there’s a ton of baseball left. Anything can happen, but with Gerrit Cole out for the entirety of the 2025 season, Fried has taken over the ace role in the Pinstripes’ rotation. With the help of Aaron Judge and co., they’ve carried this team to first place in the AL East.
