Max Fried, the New York Yankees’ left-handed starting pitcher, faced a difficult outing on Sunday as the team fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 13-7 in Game 2 of the American League Division Series. The loss puts the Yankees behind 2-0 in the best-of-five series, with their season now at risk heading into Game 3 in New York.
Fried struggled from early on, allowing seven runs over three-plus innings. “I didn’t get it done,” Fried said after the game. “It’s frustrating, especially coming out in a game like this. I needed to have a good one.”
The Blue Jays’ offense started quickly, with Daulton Varsho doubling and Ernie Clement hitting a two-run home run in the second inning. Toronto continued its rally in the third and broke open the game with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s grand slam off reliever Will Warren in the fourth.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone commented on Fried’s performance: “He didn’t seem to have the same command. Probably not getting pitches to where he wanted to get them. Life and everything seemed fine,” Boone said. “They obviously had some hard contact. They were able to find some holes with their contact. Just not his sharpest, obviously.”
Despite increased velocity—Fried’s sinker reached 99.2 mph, matching his career high—the Blue Jays managed eight hits and two walks against him while striking out only once.
“They obviously had a really good approach. They were on a lot of my pitches, and credit to them,” Fried said. “I felt like I was mixing a lot of different fastballs, and when I threw the offspeed, they seemed to be on it, too. I pride myself in being able to change speeds and keep guys off balance, and they weren’t off balance.”
This marked only the sixth time a Yankees starter has allowed seven or more earned runs in a postseason start; it last happened in 2010.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised his team’s efforts: “We talked about kind of trying to grind [Fried] a bit,” Schneider said. “I thought our at-bats were tremendous against him. He’s one of the best in the league. Kind of just took what we got, you know?”
Fried joined New York this past December on an eight-year contract worth $218 million—the largest deal for any left-handed pitcher—and became co-ace after Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year.
Looking ahead despite setbacks, Fried expressed confidence: “We believe in each other in here,” he said. “We’re a good team. Two games doesn’t mean anything. We still have the ability to go out there and win three in a row and win the series. So you’ve still got to believe.”
