Mar 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) follows through on a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Yankees' Max Fried Grinds Out Gem on Opening Day

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Mar 26, 2026 7:11 AM ET

It didn't matter how different an experience Netflix was trying to offer, or how much money they paid Bert Kreischer to keep his generic MLB logo hoodie on. The game of baseball has largely been the same for about 100 years, even with a few alterations like ABS or players glued to iPads in the dugout. For all the ways that broadcast was dressed up, once the game started, it was all business, and that was especially the case for Max Fried, who worked hard to spin a gem for the New York Yankees on the road in San Francisco.

Of course, if you were going by the first inning, it's hard to imagine that he was the one who tossed a scoreless outing, and Logan Webb would be charged with six earned runs. In the first inning, Webb was in control, and Fried was on shaky ground.

Luis Arraez started the game on a four-pitch walk, and, after Matt Chapman's force out, Trent Grisham lost a ball in the sun after Rafael Devers lofted a single to centerfield. With runners on the corner and one out, Fried blew a 95 MPH cutter right by Willy Adames and got Jung Ho Lee to sharply ground out to Jazz Chisholm Jr, who then handled it easily and tossed it to Ben Rice for the third out.

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

From there, Fried only allowed one more hit and put another on base by hitting Casey Schmitt. Outside of that, the Giants went down quietly, despite having Fried on the ropes early on.

Overcoming the First

"It's really a testament to just how good he is and how he can beat you in different ways," Aaron Boone said of Fried's night, according to ESPN's Tim Keown. "I thought in some ways it was a bit of a grind for him tonight. He was kind of in and out of rhythm a little bit. To give us 6 ¹/₃ innings after the way that first inning started was big. That's what an ace looks like when he's grinding."

Fried said it was his teammates putting a crooked number on Webb that helped stabilize him so quickly.

"Definitely was searching," Fried said, "but when the guys go out there and put up five runs in the second, it allows you to take a deep breath and get into the game. When you have a five-run lead, you have a little more room for error."

Navigating the Start

Fried wasn't wrong about not having his best stuff. It wasn't quite vintage Fried, with the Giants making loud outs throughout the game. They had an average exit velocity of 91.7 MPH off of him.

The Giants put eight balls in play that were over 95 MPH. Five of them were over 100 MPH.

Still, Fried blanked the Giants' lineup. After the outing, he was treated to hot dogs from Jameis Winston and concluded what was a bizarre Netflix presentation around baseball's season opener.

Jameis Winston delivering custom jackets and celebratory hot dogs for Max Fried and Trent Grisham #OpeningNight pic.twitter.com/pSFqKUOrQv
— netflix⁷ (@netflix) March 26, 2026