‘Worth every penny’: Max Fried shuts down Rays on same day he wins AL pitcher of the month
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Follow UsHours after being named American League Pitcher of the Month for March/April, Max Fried showed why the honor was more than deserved. The Yankees left-hander delivered a gem against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, firing seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, striking out six, and walking two.
The Yankees are now 7-0 when Fried starts, and he’s improved to 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA through his first seven outings in pinstripes. It was the type of dominant performance fans have come to expect—and the kind of stability New York desperately needed after losing two of their previous three games.
Yankees fans flood social media with praise
Fried’s latest outing lit up social media. “He’s worth every single penny,” one fan wrote. Another declared, “Max pitched a beautiful game.” One stat in particular had fans buzzing: Fried has started four times after a Yankees loss and allowed zero runs in those games.
“Through 7 starts he has a 1.01 ERA!” another user pointed out, adding to the growing sentiment that Fried should already be in Cy Young conversations.
This is Fried’s second career Pitcher of the Month award—his first in the American League. He becomes the first Yankees pitcher to win the award since Luis Gil last May, and the first Yankees lefty to take it home since CC Sabathia in July 2011.
Fried was backed by sharp infield defense, particularly from Oswaldo Cabrera, who made multiple key plays at third base. Fried generated 10 groundball outs and retired 11 of the final 13 batters he faced. The 2021 World Series champion also continued his run of allowing no earned runs in his last two starts, stretching his streak to 17.1 consecutive innings.
The Yankees sealed a 3-0 victory thanks to Paul Goldschmidt’s three-run homer in the fifth inning, but all eyes remained on Fried. On the day he was officially recognized as the best pitcher in the AL through April, he gave fans a live demonstration—and left no doubt that the Yankees have found their ace.
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