{"id":53734,"date":"2025-06-06T08:12:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T08:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=53734"},"modified":"2025-06-06T08:12:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T08:12:03","slug":"yankees-max-fried-matches-phil-niekro-with-historic-start-vs-guardians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=53734","title":{"rendered":"Yankees\u2019 Max Fried matches Phil Niekro with historic start vs. Guardians"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Max Fried has posted a 1.78 ERA through 13 starts, the Yankees\u2019 best since Phil Niekro in 1984, starting the season with an 8-1 record.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The\u00a0New York Yankees\u00a0got exactly what they needed on Thursday night,\u00a0another phenomenal outing from Max Fried.<\/p>\n
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Fried threw eight shutout innings in a 4\u20130 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium, lowering his ERA to 1.78 through his first 13 starts this season. It\u2019s the best opening stretch by a pitcher in pinstripes since Phil Niekro did so with a 1.73 ERA over 13 games in 1984. The win improved the Bronx Bombers to 38\u201323 and marked Fried\u2019s eighth victory of the year.<\/p>\n

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Fried\u2019s dominance has come at a critical time for the Yankees starting rotation, which has been without ace\u00a0Gerrit Cole. Cole was recommended to undergo Tommy John surgery earlier this spring and is not expected to return until mid-2026. That void at the top of the rotation has only magnified the importance of Fried\u2019s presence, which now includes a 0.94 WHIP, 77 strikeouts and a 3\u20130 record at Yankee Stadium with a 1.69 ERA in home starts.<\/p>\n

MLB.com\u2019s Sarah Langs posted on X, formerly Twitter,\u00a0highlighting just how dominant\u00a0Fried has been in the Bronx this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cMax Fried\u2019s 1.78 ERA is the lowest by a Yankees pitcher in his first 13 starts of a season since Phil Niekro in 1984 (1.73).\u201d<\/p>\n

Fried\u2019s eight-year, $218 million deal\u2014signed during the 2024 offseason\u2014was the richest ever for a left-handed pitcher at the time. One year in, he\u2019s looking like a bargain. And while Cole remains on the sideline, he continues to mentor pitchers like Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren.<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s injury update has added a layer of emotional gravity to the Yankees\u2019 season. While the veteran guides from the dugout, Fried has taken command of the mound\u2014pitch by pitch, inning by inning.<\/p>\n

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In a season that could\u2019ve easily unraveled, Fried hasn\u2019t just steadied the rotation, he\u2019s redefined it.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not just a marquee signing anymore. He\u2019s the new ace of the Bronx.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Max Fried has posted a 1.78 ERA through 13 starts, the Yankees\u2019 best since Phil Niekro in 1984, starting the season with an 8-1 record. 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