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MLB Sends Strong Max Fried Message Amid Yankees Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated May 24, 2025 10:01 PM ET

The Yankees continued their impressive start to the 2025 season on Saturday with a dominant win over the Colorado Rockies, fueled by excellent pitching and a huge offensive outburst.

New York exploded for a 10-run fifth inning to blow the game open and secure their 31st win of the year. Left-hander Max Fried was sensational on the mound, recording 22 outs before handing the ball off to the bullpen, which closed out the final five. With the victory, Fried improved to a perfect 7-0.

In his first season in the Bronx, Fried has been nearly untouchable. The veteran southpaw has limited damage in every start and established himself as one of the league’s most effective pitchers.

Major League Baseball spotlighted Fried’s dominance in a Saturday night post, stating:

@MaxFried remains atop the ERA leaderboard after another strong performance

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Through 11 starts, Fried leads all of MLB in earned run average. He’s pitched 70 innings, allowed just 10 earned runs, struck out 67 and walked only 16. His consistency has made him the ace the Yankees were hoping for when they signed him this past offseason.

In his previous outing before facing Colorado, Fried shut down the New York Mets, allowing only three hits and two runs across six innings. The Yankees are now 10-1 in games started by Fried this year.

This season marks a new chapter for Fried, who spent the first stretch of his career with the Atlanta Braves. In his final year with Atlanta, he posted an 11-10 record and a 3.25 ERA. Over his time with the Braves (starting in 2017), Fried recorded four seasons with double-digit wins.

The Yankees signed Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. Now 31, he’s signed through the 2033 season, when he’ll be 39 and become an unrestricted free agent.

New York will look to take the series in Denver on Sunday before continuing their West Coast road trip with series against the Angels and Dodgers. Their next home game at Yankee Stadium is set for Tuesday, June 3, against Cleveland.

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

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