When the Yankees first signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million deal, the plan was for him to be the Robin to Gerrit Cole’s Batman.
However Cole underwent Tommy John surgical procedure throughout spring coaching, catapulting Fried to the very high of the Yankees’ rotation depth chart. Tasked with being the unquestioned ace on a brand new staff, the previous Courageous performed the half brilliantly over his first 17 begins, logging a 1.92 ERA whereas averaging over six innings per outing.
Recently nonetheless, Fried has needed to grind via his begin days.
Such was the case on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, because the lefty entered a rubber match towards the Astros with a 5.81 ERA over his final six video games — a stretch that included a since-healed blister — earlier than allowing 4 earned runs over 5 frames.
The Yankees misplaced, 7-1, dropping the third-place membership to 62-56 on the season.
Fried, who additionally tallied eight hits, one stroll, two hit-by-pitches and three strikeouts over 94 pitches, first bumped into hassle within the opening inning, as Jose Altuve took him deep for a solo shot following a spherical of customary boos.
Christian Walker adopted with an RBI double within the third, whereas Cam Smith added a 3-2, two-out, two-run, two-bagger with the bases loaded within the fifth.
Fried appeared to strike Smith out when he hit the surface nook with a 2-2 fastball. Nonetheless, residence plate umpire Derek Thomas, who beforehand ejected Aaron Boone for arguing an accurate strike name within the third inning, dominated the pitch a ball and extended Smith’s at-bat.
Whereas Fried didn’t get any assist from the umpire, his efficiency marked one other day by which a Yankees starter didn’t report an out within the sixth inning. Luis Gil turned the staff’s first rotation member to take action this month on Saturday; he totaled 5.1 innings.
Fried wasn’t the one motive the Yankees misplaced on Sunday, because the Bombers’ bats have been pitiful towards Jason Alexander.
The precise-hander — not the actor who as soon as performed an assistant to the Yankees’ touring secretary — started the sequence finale with a 5.97 ERA. That didn’t cease him from taking a no-hit bid into the sixth, although.
Alexander ended up permitting only one knock whereas holding the Yankees scoreless over six innings. He additionally walked three and struck out three.
The Yankees did get on the board with a Ryan McMahon sac fly within the seventh, however that was all they acquired after loading the bases with one out.
With the chance wasted and the Astros including three runs throughout a sloppy ninth, the Yankees went on to lose their third straight sequence. The staff is now 20-31 since June 13, giving Boone’s squad one of many worst information in baseball over that stretch.
Initially Revealed: August 10, 2025 at 4:12 PM EDT
