Max Fried is a complicated pitcher.
He does not often overwhelm with velocity.
He does not miss an elite number of bats.
Everything moves, a weapon for every quadrant of the strike zone, resulting in a more subtle form of domination.
But the results are simple: When he pitches, his team wins.
The Yankees improved to 7-for-7 in Fried starts Friday, when the lefty one-hit the Rays over seven brilliant innings in a 3-0, series-opening victory in front of 45,189 in The Bronx.
Aaron Boone’s group (19-13) used its stopper and ace to bounce back from a disappointing series in Baltimore and started a six-game homestand with a crisp, well-pitched and well-defended effort.
Fresh off being named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April, Fried began his May with the same kind of artful excellence.
He did not allow a hit until there was one out in the fifth (when a well-struck single from Jose Caballero dashed hope of history), and he only let one Ray into scoring position: Junior Caminero, who reached on a fielder’s choice in the first inning, advanced on a passed ball and was stranded at second when Fried struck out Jonathan Aranda.
That was as close as the Rays came to a rally against a pitcher who threw seven different pitches that ranged from a 71.8 mph curveball to a 97.4 mph four-seamer.
Tampa Bay had no answers and never looked comfortable as Fried, who walked two and hit one, lowered his ERA to 1.01.
On what became a good night for Brian Cashman’s offseason, the Yankees only scored through a three-run home run from Paul Goldschmidt in the fifth inning.
The offense consistently mounted threats — taking nine at-bats with runners in scoring position and coming up empty eight times — and could not cash in until Goldschmidt lifted a short-porch shot off lefty Mason Montgomery with two outs and runners on second and third.
The righty swinger has three home runs this season — all off southpaws, against whom he is an astounding 18-for-30 (.600).
That swing was the only one needed because Devin Williams (an encouraging, clean eighth inning) and Luke Weaver (third save) handled the late innings without allowing a hit, and the first seven innings featured nearly spotless pitching and fielding.
Fried helped his own cause by catching Caballero napping at first in the second inning, his third pick-off of the season already. But he had help:
- A quick turn from third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera and second baseman Jorbit Vivas created a third-inning double play off the bat of Chandler Simpson, perhaps MLB’s fastest player.
- Cabrera made a sliding play to retire Yandy Diaz an inning later, earning a point and nod from Fried.
- In the fifth, Cabrera came through again by charging a chopper hit by Curtis Mead, fielding cleanly on a tough short hop and throwing Mead out, never breaking stride and running right into the home dugout after the third out of the frame.
- It was Vivas (nicely catching a pop-up down the right-field line) and Goldschmidt (bowled over by a 105.5 mph grounder, but getting up and beating Diaz to the bag) impressing in the sixth.
