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Yankees Star Broke An 88-Year-Old Franchise Record on Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeremy Beren | Last updated May 14, 2025 12:22 PM ET

The New York Yankees endured a dramatic aftermath to their loss in the 2024 World Series.

While the rival Boston Red Sox landed All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman and the Toronto Blue Jays inked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a massive contract extension, the Yankees watched star slugger Juan Soto join the crosstown rival Mets on a 15-year contract in free agency. In March, star pitcher Gerrit Cole was ruled out for the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Giancarlo Stanton has yet to play in 2025 due to tendinitis in both of his elbows.

Still, the 24-18 Yankees lead the AL East by three games, even after a tough 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. New York has relied on a high-powered free agent acquisition of its own, left-handed pitcher Max Fried, to stay ahead of the competition -- and Fried made history on Tuesday, even in a losing effort at T-Mobile Park.

Max Fried's 1.11 ERA is the lowest ERA by a Yankee in his first nine starts of a season since ER official (1913), surpassing Lefty Gomez's longstanding mark (1.27 ERA in 1937)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 14, 2025

Though he needed 91 pitches to get through five innings, Fried lowered his ERA on the season to a minuscule 1.11. That is the lowest figure by a Yankees starter in 88 years, since Lefty Gomez registered a 1.27 ERA through his first nine starts of an eventual World Series run.

“It was a grind for him,” Boone said of Fried's outing against the Mariners. “I thought that his stuff was fine. I thought (Seattle) pressured him well. He had that five-pitch first inning, but then they took a lot of tough at-bats against him.”

In addition to his 1.11 ERA, Fried boasts a 6-0 record with 52 strikeouts across 56 2/3 innings pitched, quickly endearing himself to Yankees fans after he signed an eight-year, $218 million contract in December. New York has an 8-1 record when the left-hander takes the bump.

While Fried is benefitting from some batted-ball luck amid a .237 batting average on balls in play, there is little doubt that the 31-year-old is a strong contender for the first Cy Young Award of his nine-year career.

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

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