Max Fried still winless since April despite…
The worst workforce in baseball made Max Fried work for virtually every out.
The Yankees star pitcher was efficient — permitting one run and one hit with seven strikeouts in a 10-3 win over the Rockies on Thursday — but inefficient in his third start back from the injured record, lasting just 3 ⅓ innings after throwing just 48 of his 80 pitches for strikes.
“They saw a lot of pitches, they were having some good at-bats and not chasing,” Fried said. “I felt like I was getting ahead, then throwing some non-competitive pitches. … It was just a weird outing where I was executing in certain counts, but I also had a lot of bad misses that caused a lot of deep counts. Going 80 pitches and not getting through four [innings] is not ideal. I didn’t want to put the bullpen in that position, but they did a great job picking me up.”
Max Fried throws a pitch during the first inning of the Yankees’ 10-3 blowout win over the Rockies on Sept. 10, 2026 at the Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Since returning from a bone bruise in his left elbow for the second time this season, Fried has given up one run in each of his three outings (12 ⅔ whole innings). Thursday’s lone run allowed got here on a 431-foot home run by Colorado’s Kyle Karros that hit the second deck in left area.
Fried, who threw 63 pitches in his first start back and 72 in his earlier outing, had moments when he seemed like this season’s early Cy Young candidate, placing out 4 consecutive batters. He also displayed the rust of a starter who has thrown less than 38 innings since mid-July, strolling the leadoff hitter in his last two innings.
Fried (4-4, 2.73 ERA) has gone 11 straight begins without choosing up a win — most just lately incomes one April 27 — after going 19-5 last season, though he has allowed fewer than two runs in 5 consecutive outings.
“I’m feeling good, liking the progress so far, hitting my marks,” Fried said. “I felt like I could’ve definitely stayed in that game and kept going … I’m just gonna keep building.”
Soon, the Yankees will need a lot more from the proprietor of the most important contract ever given to a left-handed pitcher.
Fried has no doubt he’ll ship.
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“We’re looking forward to having me being completely built up for the end of the season and the playoffs,” Fried said. “They’ve had a plan. As much as I would love to fast-forward the plan and just say, ‘Let’s throw it all out the window,’ they’ve got a lot of really smart people here who work really hard to try to make sure I’m gonna be healthy for when it matters most.”
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