Yankees' Max Fried lands among Dodgers, Red Sox legends with dominant 7-game stretch

Max Fried, who has started eight games this season, joined an elite category of pitchers for the seven-game stretch in MLB history. In his latest start against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, he pitched seven innings, allowing five hits, one earned and eight strikeouts.

Following the stellar outing, Fried improved to 6-0 on the season with a sparkling 1.01 ERA. The veteran lefty joins an exclusive club featuring Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela and Red Sox great Dave Ferriss as the only pitchers since 1913 to begin a season with six wins and an ERA of 1.01 or lower in their first seven starts with a franchise.

Max Fried’s stretch has been nothing short of surgical. The left-hander has shut down lineups, allowing only five earned runs in 47 innings while tallying 43 strikeouts.

Here’s a look at Max Fried's last seven starts:

May 6 vs. Padres – 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 K
May 2 vs. Rays – 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 K
Apr 26 vs. Blue Jays – 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 K
Apr 19 @ Rays – 7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K
Apr 15 vs. Royals – 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 7 K
Apr 8 @ Tigers – 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 11 K
Apr 4 @ Pirates – 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 6 K

Dan Plesac all praise for Max Fried

On MLB Network this week, MLB analyst Dan Plesac praised the New York Yankees' southpaw on his incredible season. With Max Fried on the mound, the club has won nearly every game, and it seems the eight-year, $218 million signee is bearing fruit already.

"He looks like he's 15 years old, but man, there is a lot of dynamite in this skinny package right here," Plesac said. "The fastball just plays. He can hit that outside corner to a righty as well as any lefty in baseball, and it has angry on it—96 to 97. He can cut it.

"What I love about him is that he has that curveball. So he's 95–96, electric curveball, and I love that he added the sweeper to the mix — kind of like what Kershaw did. So he has the heater, the curveball, and that little sweeper. He can control the running game. He has the best left-handed move in baseball."

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The seventh overall pick of the 2012 MLB draft has a deep pitching arsenal, which seems to be reaching its peak in 2025. The two-time All-Star will look to win his first Cy Young in 2025 and hope that he can take the Yankees deep in the postseason.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Bhargav