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MLB Reacts to Max Fried News After Yankees Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin M. Groe | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 12:01 AM ET

New York Yankees ace Max Fried is in his first full season with the club after debuting in 2017 with the Atlanta Braves.

Fried spent eight seasons in Atlanta, winning a World Series ring in 2021 when he delivered six shutout innings in the Game 6 clincher against the Houston Astros.

He finished fifth in Cy Young voting twice, earned three Gold Glove Awards and made two All-Star Game appearances in his Braves tenure. With such a strong resume, the Yankees made him baseball’s highest-paid left-hander ever, signing Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract that includes a club option for 2032.

The organization is banking on his championship pedigree to lift the team after last year’s Fall Classic defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

Through the season’s midpoint he has already shown he’s worth every penny.

After his latest outing, MLB’s official X account wrote, “Max Fried wins the race to 10 wins!”

Max Fried wins the race to 10 wins!

(MLB x @LoanDepot ) pic.twitter.com/SIwn7uf7r6
— MLB (@MLB) June 26, 2025

That declaration came after the Wednesday’s 7–1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, when Fried tossed seven innings with seven strikeouts and no earned runs becoming the first pitcher this year to cross the 10-win threshold.

He improved to 10–2 with a 1.92 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 17 starts, ranking among the baseball’s elite in every key category.

Fried’s first campaign in pinstripes has seen him use a seven-pitch type arsenal with pinpoint command, allowing him to succeed against even the toughest lineups. As New York clings to a one-game lead over the surging Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, the 31-year-old ace will need to keep rolling.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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