Max Fried Leads as Yankees Make History Again
On Monday night, the New York Yankees made history by going five for five on ABS challenges but still losing. They only yielded two runs, though. And by getting another Max Fried shutout on Tuesday night, the Yanks made more history.
Max Fried blanks Mariners as Yankees make pitching history
The New York Yankees are known for offense. They always have been, and employing players like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton does nothing to move away from that identity. But in 2026, the Yankees have been a pitcher's paradise.
They have allowed just three runs in the first five games. They are now tied with the 1943 Cardinals for the lowest amount of runs allowed in the first five games of a season. Tonight, with Cam Schlittler on the mound, they'll go for more history.
Schlittler recorded 5.1 shutout innings, and his bullpen allowed just one run in his first start. Max Fried has now made two starts, and after seven shutout innings of work on Tuesday, the ace has 13.1 innings without a single run given up.
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Ace discusses outing
At times during his Opening Day start, Max Fried was laboring. He got into trouble in the first inning, but worked out of it. This time, he was in much better shape, went longer, and never really struggled. The Mariners didn't really threaten the Yankees' ace much, either.
"There weren’t times where I was just fighting to throw strikes; I felt like I was actually able to locate today, which made things a lot easier,” Fried said. Thanks to him, the Yankees now have three shutouts in five games. Now, five teams have achieved that since 2000.
“Everyone has contributed,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Max has gone into the seventh or completed the seventh in back-to-back ones. Everyone else from the starting rotation has gone out and held them down, and then the bullpen has been excellent.”
“We definitely like our pitching,” Boone added. “I don’t know if you draw up this many shutouts and all that early on. I don’t care how good your pitching is, it doesn’t usually work that seamlessly. It’s a great start for those guys. They’re pitching with a lot of confidence, and they’re executing.”
Right now, though the Yankees' offense isn't red-hot outside of Stanton, the pitching has been among the best in the sport. That's been more than enough to start 4-1.
Giancarlo Stanton chimes in
Giancarlo Stanton has been the Yankees' hottest hitter. It's early, but he's hitting well despite not having any home runs, which are usually his hallmark. He's hitting .500 with four RBI and a 1.250 OPS. Those marks all lead the team.
"He’s been one of the best hitters in the game for a long time,” Max Fried said. “To see him healthy and just out there, ready to do damage -- it’s not a fun at-bat when you’re up there facing him. When he’s locked in like this, I’m really glad that I’m on this side.”
Stanton provided his take on it. “They’ve made it easier on us, for sure. It’s a much easier at-bat when the other team has zero runs," he said. About Fried, he added, "It’s his dominance, continuing it from last year, making it tough on the guys. He’s making them off-balance and working in and out. He’s been unreal.”
Stanton made his own history on Tuesday with his fifth straight multi-hit performance. Only three other Yankee hitters have done that:
- 2003 Alfonso Soriano
- 1956 Bill Skowron
- 1928 Bob Meusel
"I’m just staying back, being on time for heaters and keeping my barrel through the zone as much as possible,” Stanton said about his hot streak. He'll get a chance to continue that against George Kirby today.
