Former Atlanta Braves ace and New York Yankees lefty Max Fried became the first to reach a seasonal milestone in 2025. He is the first to reach 10 win on the season. He reached the mark in the Yankees 7-1 win over the Reds on Wednesday.
Fried pitched seven innings of one-run ball (unearned), allowing for hits and a walk while striking out seven. He improved to 10-2 on the season. For a comparison, he got his 10th win with the Braves last season on Sept. 21, his second-to-last start of the season. His current pace has him on track for a career-high 20 wins. His current career-best is 17.
While most don’t give wins much attention these days, and with a good case for why, he’s not exactly racking up any cheap wins. He has a 1.92 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP over 17 starts this season. He’s allowed more than two runs (either earned or unearned) three times all season.
If anything, he’s earned a tough loss. His loss to Boston came in an effort where he pitched seven innings of two-run ball and the Yankees got shutout. That’s baseball.
Record aside, Fried is a frontrunner to be the starter for the American League in the All-Star Game, being hosted by his former team. His top competition for the honor are likely reigning Cy Young Award winner in the AL, Tarik Skubal and Astros starter Hunter Brown.
The Atlanta crowd should be expected to give him a standing ovation whenever he wounds up taking the mound in the game – he’s all but officially an All-Star with the season he’s having.
As for other accolades, such as the Cy Young, we’ll cross that bridge later in the season. It’s a tight race right now in the American League. We’ll see who separates themselves.
Fried signed with the Yankees (eight years, $218 million) over the offseason after eight season with the Braves, the team that drafted him. In a Braves uniform, he made two All-Star Games, won two Gold Gloves and was part of the 2021 World Series-winning team. He notably pitched the decisive Game 6.