Aaron Judge's teammate Max Fried shares why Yankees pressure doesn’t affect him

Aaron Judge leads the Yankees in the slugging department, but in the starting rotation, free agent signing Max Fried has been thrust into the role after Gerrit Cole's season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Proving his eight-year, $218M contract worth, Fried has been a consistent starter in the Yankees' rotation, though his recent outing against the Dodgers proved costly, giving up six runs in five innings pitched.

In Sunday's episode of "Dugout Discussions," taken before his start against the Dodgers, sportscaster Chris Rose pointed out the high-pressure environment typically associated with playing in New York. While that pressure often weighs heavily on players, Max Fried explained why his experience has been different.

"I've just been really welcomed in by the organization," Fried said [from 18:58]. "Everyone made me feel really comfortable right away. I kind of just wanted to make it a point that, you know, I signed up to be here eight years, so I was like, 'I'm going to be here, I might as well just try to get as comfortable as possible, get to know the guys.'"

Fried noted that the Yankees' clubhouse has a no-nonsense environment, dedicated to purely winning. Moreover, having played for the Atlanta Braves for eight years, he found it easier to acclimate.

"Obviously, you know, New York is New York is New York. But Atlanta has a huge fan base. They've got basically the entire South. So, you know, anywhere you go in the South, you travel on the road, Braves fans would show up all the time," Max Fried added.

For the 31-year-old, there is no difference in playing for the Yankees and Braves, much to the surprise of sportscaster Chris Rose.

Max Fried's next start for the Yankees

Max Fried had a horrific outing against the Dodgers in the first game of the series, leading to their 8-5 loss. The Bronx Bombers lost the next game by a wider margin, 18-2. They avoided shame in the dead rubber, winning 7-3.

The Yankees will host the Cleveland Guardians in the next series, and Fried will start the third game (per MLB.com). Despite a relatively small sample, Fried has been impressive against Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez and first baseman Carlos Santana. Ramirez has a .000, while Sanatana has a .111 batting average against Fried in two and nine at-bats, respectively.

The Yankees are the obvious favorites in the series, but Carlos Rodon is the starter for Game 1. Despite impressive talent, Rodon has not been dependable, and the Guardians have a chance to make Game 3 the decider.

Max Fried's current ERA of 1.92 is the closest he has been to 2. The 31-year-old was as low as 1.01 in early May. If push comes to shove, Fried will likely be the X-factor of the series.