Yankees’ Max Fried claims historic 1937 milestone despite first pinstripe setback.
Even when Max Fried finally appeared mortal, history beckoned. The Yankees’ ace labored through five innings and yielded a run in Tuesday’s 2-1 extra-inning defeat to the Mariners, yet still managed to inscribe his name in the franchise’s hallowed record books.
The 31-year-old southpaw’s ERA now stands at a microscopic 1.11 through nine starts, establishing a new Yankees benchmark since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913. The mark eclipses Lefty Gomez‘s revered 1.27 ERA from 1937, placing Max Fried in rarefied air among the organization’s legendary hurlers.
“It was a grind for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged afterward. “I thought that his stuff was fine. I thought they pressured him well.”
Short start, long grind
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The evening began deceptively simple for Max Fried, who dispatched the Mariners on just five pitches in the opening frame. That efficiency quickly evaporated as Seattle’s hitters forced him into prolonged battles, extracting 4.55 pitches per plate appearance—well above his season average of 3.74.
“They were in it every pitch, just being able to foul off a lot,” Max Fried explained. “They were on time, and they were definitely ready for what I was throwing. Sometimes that’s the way the game shakes out.”
Trouble materialized in the fourth when Julio Rodríguez singled to lead off, and Cal Raleigh followed with a run-scoring double off the center-field wall. Though this would be Seattle’s lone tally until their walk-off winner, Max Fried’s command wavered.
The inning spiraled into a 29-pitch ordeal, including a free pass to Dylan Moore and an exhausting 12-pitch confrontation with Donovan Solano that ended with a flyout. By the conclusion of the fifth, Max Fried had expended 91 pitches—signaling the end of his shorter-than-usual outing.
“I think it was just a mix of everything,” Max Fried reflected. “Probably command, and then also facing a team that had a really good approach. It happens.”
Yankees bullpen backs ace, but offense betrays
Once Max Fried departed, the Yankees’ relief corps delivered a masterclass in shutdown pitching. Fernando Cruz, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams combined to retire 15 consecutive Mariners. The dominance included a stretch where Max Fried and the first two relievers recorded eight straight strikeouts.
“Cruz and Leiter were lights out, then Weaver was really efficient,” Boone said. “Devin with the ghost runner, just watching [from the office television] — he made a ton of really good pitches.”
Luke Weaver secures the 1-2-3 ninth. DJ LeMahieu will get his first at-bat of 2025 in extras with a runner on pic.twitter.com/M4QrT5zMn6
Weaver continued his remarkable season with two pristine frames, while Williams navigated around a runner at third in the tenth. The spell finally broke in the eleventh when Tim Hill surrendered consecutive singles—the latter from J.P. Crawford, who slashed a walk-off liner down the left-field line.
“When you don’t score in the extra innings, it puts the home team at a real advantage,” Boone noted. “So we were kind of up against it.”
Record-setting start despite the loss
Though the quality start streak ended at six, Max Fried’s stellar season metrics remain intact. His 1.11 ERA pairs with an equally impressive 0.94 WHIP, keeping him among baseball’s elite starters.
The night featured uncharacteristic struggles, as Max Fried generated just nine swings and misses—a season low—while Seattle batters fouled off 23 pitches, the most against him since last August.
“I thought the whole night for him was a bit of a grind,” Boone observed. “It’s a testament to how good he is, being able to limit them to one run through five innings on a night where he had to work very hard.”
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Missed chances haunt Yankees’ offense
Opportunities abounded for New York’s lineup, but execution vanished. The team finished an abysmal 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position, matching a franchise record for futility. The frustration extended into extra innings, where they went 0-for-6 and left 11 runners stranded throughout the contest.
Their solitary run materialized in the ninth through defensive charity. After Paul Goldschmidt absorbed a pitch and was replaced by pinch-runner Pablo Reyes, Austin Wells advanced him to third via groundout. Anthony Volpe then tapped a slow roller to first baseman Donovan Solano, whose errant throw allowed Reyes to score the tying run.
The Mariners employed strategic aggression in the tenth, intentionally walking Aaron Judge with two outs and the automatic runner at second. The gamble paid dividends when Cody Bellinger grounded out to extinguish the threat.
New York squandered yet another golden opportunity in the eleventh with runners at first and third and just one out.
The game’s pivotal moment followed Volpe’s game-tying play, when Jasson Domínguez was rung up on a questionable 100 mph fastball that appeared below the zone. His rare display of frustration prompted Boone’s intervention, resulting in the manager’s ejection.
“I wasn’t even going out to argue,” Boone explained. “Obviously, it was a bad call; everyone knew it. You don’t see JD react like that, so I was just trying to go out and make sure JD was staying in the game. I thought it was kind of a quick run there.”
First loss for Max Fried, but confidence still high
The defeat marked the first Yankees loss in a Max Fried start this season, snapping their perfect 8-0 record when he takes the mound. Despite the outcome, Boone emphasized positive takeaways.
“We threw the ball really well tonight,” he said. “We just didn’t get the big hit with runners in scoring position. … We just couldn’t cash in on those chances we had.”
Max Fried’s historic ERA through nine starts places him not merely in contemporary elite company, but among the Yankees’ pantheon of pitching legends—surpassing icons like Gomez and Whitey Ford at comparable junctures in any season.
Through consistent command, resilient composure, and the ability to battle through adversity, Max Fried has cemented his status as the cornerstone of New York’s rotation and one of baseball’s most formidable pitchers in 2025.
