The Yankees’ ace needs this important pitch to get back on track

Despite what you would initially think, it’s been lefties who have given Fried issues in the damage department, having a higher wOBA, OPS, and SLG% against Fried over the last two years than right-handed hitters.

A big reason for this pitch is his cutter, a pitch that has allowed a .625 Expected SLG% on the season with a 22.9% Whiff Rate.

Fried has countered this by using his sinker at a higher rate in his last two starts, a pitch that has held lefties to a .314 Expected SLG% while generating a 31.1% Whiff%.

It’s a sinker that’s had tons of success this season due to the vertical drop it generates relative to release height, as there’s a positive relation between fastball IVB and fastball release height.

Among MLB sinkers thrown at least 400 times in 2025, Max Fried’s sinker is 4th in Whiff% (24.6) and 10th in xwoBA (.308), increasing its usage could result in a strong September.

His ability to throw a reliable sinker could help him against Toronto, who has given Max Fried issues in his last two matchups against them.

The Blue Jays are 24th in xwOBA (.323) and 26th in xSLG% (.375) against left-handed sinkers, and that start could end up being his biggest of the 2025 regular season.

Toronto has a .357 xwOBA and .462 SLG% against left-handed cutters, so this change from a cutter-first pitcher to a sinker-first pitcher could lead to better results in their weekend matchup.

The Yankees’ issues mostly lie with Boston and Toronto, while they lost their initial series matchups with Detroit and Houston, a three-game sample size is hardly conclusive.

Against the Blue Jays and Red Sox, the Yankees have a .735 OPS and 105 wRC+, while those are worse marks than their team stats, it’s the pitching that’s been firmly below-average.

Boston (.815) and Toronto (.798) have elite OPS numbers against New York’s pitching staff, and if Max Fried can get hot at the right time, they could reverse that trend this month.

Right behind the Blue Jays for first place in the division while being 0.5 games ahead of the Red Sox, this could redefine the AL East playoff picture.

Max Fried’s sinker might be the key to a hot stretch at a time where the Yankees have to get going, and if he delivers, the Yankees could end up with a first-place finish in a division that looked lost just two weeks ago.