SAN FRANCISCO — Max Fried picked up right where he left off after a stellar first year in the Bronx, and in doing so, he carved his name into a very short list in Yankees history.
The left-hander delivered 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 7-0 rout of the Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday night, holding San Francisco to just two hits while striking out four. It was the kind of start that reminded the Yankees and their fans exactly why the front office handed Fried the ball as the Opening Day starter.
But the real significance of the outing goes well beyond one dominant performance. It places Fried in a category that only two other left-handed pitchers in the history of the franchise have ever reached.
A shaky first inning that could have gone sideways
It did not look like a historic night at first. Fried walked leadoff hitter Luis Arraez on four pitches to open the bottom of the first. One out later, Rafael Devers dropped a soft single into center field that Trent Grisham got a late break on, putting Giants runners on the corners with the Oracle Park crowd on its feet.
That was as close as San Francisco would get all night. Fried struck out Willy Adames on a 95 mph fastball and got Jung Hoo Lee to ground out to end the threat. It was the kind of escape that set the tone for the rest of his outing.
After that rocky first frame, Fried settled in completely. He retired 18 of the final 20 batters he faced. The only base runners he allowed the rest of the way were a hit batter in the second inning and a harmless single in the fourth. He threw 86 pitches before handing the ball to the bullpen.
Fried joins Russo and Guidry in Yankees record books
With his shutout performance, Fried became just the third left-handed pitcher in Yankees franchise history to throw a scoreless outing on Opening Day. The only other lefties to accomplish the feat were Marius Russo in 1941 and Ron Guidry in 1980, according to NY Yankees Stats.
Fried also became the fifth Yankees pitcher since 1969 to record at least 6 1/3 shutout innings in a season opener. That list includes Catfish Hunter in 1977, Guidry in 1980, Rick Rhoden in 1988 and David Cone in 1996. The Yankees won an opener with a shutout on the road for the first time since 1967.
According to Langs, the Yankees ace’s scoreless Opening Day start stand only fourth in the franchise history where a pitcher started of 6+ innings allowing 2 hits or fewer. Mel Stottlemyre’s 1967 Opening Day start against the Washington Senators stands out as the only by a pinstriped right hander.
For a pitcher who signed with the Yankees before the 2025 season and immediately established himself as a front-of-the-rotation arm, the historical company speaks to how consistent Fried has been since arriving in pinstripes.
Fried settles into the ace role with Cole sidelined
The performance was especially significant given the circumstances. Gerrit Cole, who is working his way back from injury, was placed on the 15-day injured list ahead of Opening Day. That leaves Fried as the undisputed No. 1 starter in the Yankees rotation for the foreseeable future.
Fried hinted earlier this month that the transition from spring training to the regular season felt unusual this year, with several teammates still competing in the World Baseball Classic while the rest of the roster prepared for Game 1.
“I’m definitely looking forward, knowing that the beginning of the season is quick,” Fried said during spring training. “It feels a little weird because we’ve got a bunch of guys still going in the Classic and being able to watch that. We’re just doing what we need to do every day to get ready for Game 1.”
Whatever adjustment period Max Fried was anticipating, it did not show up on Wednesday. After that first-inning scare, he was in complete command.
Yankees offense gives Fried early breathing room
Fried’s job got a lot easier in the top of the second inning when the Yankees erupted for five runs off Giants ace Logan Webb. Jose Caballero started the damage with an RBI double, Ryan McMahon followed with a two-run single, and Trent Grisham capped the rally with a two-run triple. New York sent nine men to the plate in the frame.
The Yankees tacked on two more in the fifth to push the lead to 7-0. Webb, a 15-game winner last season making his fifth career Opening Day start, was tagged for six earned runs and nine hits over five innings in what turned out to be a rough debut for first-year Giants manager Tony Vitello.
Aaron Judge went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, hearing boos from the Oracle Park crowd throughout the night. But the depth of the Yankees lineup made his absence a non-factor.
Bullpen finishes the job
Jake Bird, Brent Headrick and Camilo Doval combined to record the final eight outs and preserve the shutout. The trio did not allow a hit, sealing the first road Opening Day shutout for the Yankees in nearly six decades.
The Yankees and Giants resume the series Friday with right-hander Cam Schlittler taking the mound for New York opposite left-hander Robbie Ray. But it is the image of Fried, photographed after the game holding the team’s game belt with a wide smile, that will stick with Yankees fans heading into the rest of the week. When he wakes up Thursday, his ERA will sit at a clean 0.00. For a pitcher stepping into the ace role, it does not get much better than that.
