Yankees’ $218 million ace channels rare dominance not seen since WWII-era baseball
NEW YORK — In a season when the New York Yankees have had to manage setbacks, one constant has been Max Fried. And now, the prized free-agent left-hander is entering rarefied air, drawing statistical comparisons not just to franchise legends — but to a historic World Series champion from more than 80 seasons ago.
Fried’s dismantling of the Royals in the Yankees’ 10-2 win on Tuesday night wasn’t just another triumph in the books. It elevated his personal record to 9-1 with a 1.84 ERA across 14 starts, a line that alone would put him among the best pitchers in baseball. But a deeper number shared by OptaStats has caught the attention of baseball historians and fans alike.
With a run differential of +62 across those 14 starts, Fried now holds the second-best margin for any pitcher through that stretch since Ted Wilks of the 1944 St. Louis Cardinals, who posted a +66. That team went on to win the World Series.
The implication may be more symbolic than predictive, but Yankees fans are clinging to the optimism. After all, it’s been just months since the heartbreak of losing the 2024 Fall Classic — and Fried, for now, is pitching like the one man who could carry them back.
Fried joins elite company
Fried’s impact has been immediate and seismic. Signed to an eight-year, $218 million deal this past winter, he entered June with an ERA+ of 225 — a metric that adjusts a pitcher’s earned run average to league and ballpark factors, where 100 is average. Only two Yankees starters in the last half-century have posted an ERA+ above 200 for a full season: Ron Guidry (208 in 1978) and Gerrit Cole (165 in 2023).
In fact, Yankees starters rarely finish a full campaign above even 140. Here’s a quick look at how rare Fried’s pace is:
- Gerrit Cole (2023): 165
- Andy Pettitte (1997): 156
- Catfish Hunter (1975): 144
- Stan Bahnsen (1968): 140
Only Guidry’s 1978 Cy Young-winning season has truly rivaled what Fried is doing now.
Best when it matters most
What separates Fried even further is his consistency as a “stopper.” In games directly following a Yankees loss, Fried is 8-0 with a 0.83 ERA. He’s helped the team avoid spiralling more than once, including their latest rebound after a frustrating weekend series loss to the Red Sox.
“He’s arguably been the best pitcher in the game to this point,” manager Aaron Boone said last week. “I think what really stands out is just the many ways he can beat you on the mound.”
Boone highlighted Fried’s “big arsenal” — his fastball, two-seamer, cutter, plus offspeed pitches like a sweeper, changeup, and curveball — and praised his “athleticism, fielding ability, and poise in managing the running game.”
“He’s just been tremendous,” Boone added.
Fried, never one to indulge in superlatives, credited his results simply to “execution.”
Weaponizing efficiency
Beyond raw results, Fried’s pitch efficiency has been critical for a Yankees rotation that’s still trying to get healthy. With Gerrit Cole out for the year following Tommy John surgery and both Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman still working their way back from injury, the Yankees have leaned heavily on Fried’s durability.
“He’s giving us length and saving our bullpen,” a Yankees staff source said. “You can’t ask for more from a guy in his first year in pinstripes.”
Fried ranks second in Major League Baseball in fastball run value (+14) and remains among the leaders in innings pitched, quality starts, and WHIP.
His 2025 campaign is beginning to resemble not just a good season — but potentially an all-time great one in Yankee lore.
A Yankees legacy in the making
Matching the likes of Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, or Andy Pettitte will take more than one brilliant year. But Fried is already making a case to be remembered as one of the Yankees’ premier southpaws.
Ford holds the franchise record for postseason wins (10) and ERA among pitchers with at least 100 innings in the playoffs. Guidry won 25 games in 1978 and was the emotional leader of that late-‘70s juggernaut.
Fried isn’t there yet. But his performance has resurrected something few pitchers can — belief.
Echoes of 1944 championship chase
Back in 1944, Ted Wilks and the Cardinals rolled through the National League with quiet, lethal efficiency, just like Fried has through the American League in 2025. Wilks posted his +66 run differential in a time of war, depleted rosters, and uncertain futures.
That year’s Cardinals team wasn’t the flashiest, but it was defined by pitching depth, opportunistic offense, and the ability to respond to adversity. In some ways, that blueprint aligns with these Yankees — who, despite a 40-25 record and four-game lead in the AL East, have had to overcome early-season struggles, rotation setbacks, and the lingering sting of last year’s October letdown.
Fried’s statistical link to Wilks is both coincidental and charming. But for Yankees fans still searching for hope that this team can finish what it started in 2024, it may also feel like destiny.
Fried will likely make his next start at home against the White Sox, and all eyes will be on whether his dominance continues. He’s now just three wins away from double digits before the All-Star break — a milestone not reached by a Yankees starter since Masahiro Tanaka in 2014.
And if this 2025 Yankees team keeps mirroring signs of title winners from the past?
Nobody in the Bronx will argue with history repeating itself.
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