Yankees Pitcher Quietly Gave His All-Star Spotlight to a Rival

Tarik Skubal will take the mound to open Tuesday night’s All-Star Game. But the first person to tell him that probably wasn’t who you’d expect.

It wasn’t Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who’ll be leading the American League squad.

It was Yankees' ace Max Fried.

Before Boone finalized his rotation, Fried, who is a former Atlanta ace, reached out to Skubal directly.

“He asked me if I wanted to start,” Skubal told Evan Woodbury, who covers the Tigers for MLive Media. “I deferred to him, especially since he pitched in Atlanta for so long.”

But Fried didn’t hesitate.
“I think you deserve it,” he told Skubal. “I was just wondering if you wanted to start it.”

Skubal admitted that he did. The next day, Boone made it official. Skubal will get the ball for the American League squad to start the game Tuesday night. Fried, who’s dealing with a blister and won’t pitch in the game at all, had already backed off.

And he did it before there was any talk about his injury.

“It was actually a really cool conversation,” Skubal said. “It’s a very professional thing to do, and I’ve got a ton of respect for guys that do stuff like that.”

Fried could’ve made a strong case to start the game himself. A three-time All-Star with eight years in Atlanta, he knew what it would’ve meant to take the ball there. But instead, he made a quiet call and passed the moment to someone else.

Still, if Fried’s blister clears up, he may yet get his moment back in Atlanta. The Yankees open the second half next weekend at Truist Park, and the crowd there knows exactly what he meant to the Braves.