MLB Recognition Rolls In for Yankees’ Breakout Ace

Over six starts, Fried went 5–0 with a 1.19 ERA, allowing just five earned runs across 37.2 innings. He struck out 33, walked nine, and held opponents to a .207 average. His 1.04 WHIP and 7.88 strikeouts per nine innings reflected the command and consistency that helped him quietly become one of the game’s most effective arms.

After a no-decision in his season debut on March 29, Fried ripped off five straight wins in April, joining Brandon Pfaadt and Nick Pivetta as the only starters in baseball with five wins during the season’s opening month. He became the first Yankees pitcher to win five of his first six starts in a season since Gerrit Cole in 2023, and the first to do so in his first five outings with the club since J.A. Happ in 2018.

But it wasn’t just the win total. 

Fried closed the month with 17.1 consecutive scoreless innings and didn’t allow an earned run in his final two starts. He blanked Tampa Bay over 7.2 innings on April 20 and held Detroit scoreless over seven on April 9, the night he also racked up a season-high 11 strikeouts, without a single walk. It marked the first time in his career he recorded double-digit strikeouts without issuing a free pass.

The 31-year-old has been exactly what the Yankees hoped for when they brought him in. He's calm, clinical, and in full control. After Cole went down, Fried has been the ace the Yankees needed.