PITTSBURGH -- The ink had scarcely dried on Max Fried's record-setting contract this past December, and the left-hander was being guided through Yankee Stadium, gaining familiarity with the surroundings that will be his home for the next eight seasons. The tour halted as Fried eyed a phrase painted on a wall near the clubhouse: ¡°Prepare, compete, win.¡±
Those three words are Fried¡¯s new mantra, fueling his workouts throughout a first pinstriped spring that seemed largely uneventful, and setting the tone as he aims to be a rotation stalwart. Preparation and competition are ongoing, and now Fried has his first Yankees victory, firing 5 2/3 strong innings in an 9-4 win over the Pirates on Friday at PNC Park.
"It¡¯s been incredible, especially the early runs,¡± Fried said. ¡°It takes a lot off me, where I know that I can be a little more aggressive and go after guys. At that point, when they¡¯re swinging the bats well, your job is just to try getting into the dugout as quick as possible.¡±
Aaron Judge marked his 1,000th career game by launching his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot off left-hander Tim Mayza.
Yet it was the bottom of the lineup that did the most significant damage, beginning with a drubbing of Mitch Keller, whose 29th birthday saw the right-hander dented for seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. Oswaldo Cabrera drove in four runs in a three-hit performance, while Jasson Dom¨ªnguez added two hits and a pair of RBIs.
"I think it¡¯s early. I try to stay the most present possible,¡± Cabrera said. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to think about what can happen tomorrow. I¡¯m trying to control the things I can control. The thing that I can control is just trying to work hard every time and get better, and when I get the opportunity, take advantage.¡±
The Yankees signed Fried to a $218 million pact as the first domino in their post-Juan Soto pivot -- the largest contract ever issued to a left-handed pitcher. Run support has proved plentiful across his first two starts; the Yankees scored 20 runs in his debut against the Brewers last week in the Bronx, including 16 in the first four innings.
Yet Fried did not qualify for a decision, as he allowed six runs over just 4 2/3 innings (only two runs were earned, thanks to five Bombers errors).
After that outing, Fried said he didn¡¯t ¡°earn¡± the right to stay in the game, saying that he¡¯d been ¡°in and out of rhythm¡± while vowing to be sharper in his next start. He delivered on that promise, helping spoil the Pirates¡¯ home opener by scattering six hits, walking one and striking out six.
"I just felt like it was a little bit more of my game,¡± Fried said. ¡°I was able to execute some pitches. The fastball down and in was really good today. When I¡¯m throwing that fastball in, it just opens up everything else.¡±
Said Judge: ¡°I know he¡¯s excited to be here; he wanted to be a Yankee. You saw the nerves and excitement in his first start, especially at home. To see him come out here and get that first win ¡ It¡¯s good to get that first one out of your way, so now you can kind of exhale and get on.¡±
The captain helped Fried by making a stellar catch in the bottom of the first inning against the wall in right field, robbing Ke¡¯Bryan Hayes of a potential extra-base hit.
"It was big for me, especially on the first play of the game,¡± Fried said. ¡°I just wanted to create contact and not walk the leadoff guy. He put a nice swing on it, and that definitely helps when it¡¯s an F-9 and not a double.¡±
A two-time All-Star during his time with the Braves, Fried improved to 4-1 with a 3.94 ERA in eight career starts against the Pirates (20 ER / 45.2 IP). Boone called it ¡°a big step¡± from Fried¡¯s Yankees debut, noting that his command seemed sharper.
¡°Hopefully, he¡¯s off and running now,¡± Boone said.
Boone could say the same about the bats, noting how athleticism seems to be showing up more often throughout the lineup. So much of the early conversation centered around homers and Torpedo bats; games like Friday¡¯s show that the Yanks can score plenty of runs in other ways, too.
"I feel like that¡¯s in play for us,¡± Boone said. ¡°Just overall, hopefully we¡¯re a little more deep throughout the lineup and a little more balanced. These guys are really putting together a lot of quality at-bats and making it tough on the opponent.¡±