BOSTON — Max Fried has spent most of the season throwing his four-seam fastball at a wide range of speeds.
On Saturday, with a lot on the line and not a lot of time left in the season, that meant a lot more at the higher end of the spectrum.
Fried came out firing for the Yankees, with a bump in velocity that featured a pair of early strikeouts on 99 mph heaters in a 5-3 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
“Feeling good physically and also adrenaline,” Fried said in explaining the uptick in velocity, which included four of his six fastest pitches this season. “The boys came out and scored early and just wanted to make sure I put up a zero. Really felt the energy. Big crowd, big game, so had a lot of adrenaline and tried to use it as best I could.”
Fried was not his sharpest early on and gave up a season-high nine hits.
But he settled in to give the Yankees 5 ¹/₃ innings of two-run ball while picking up his MLB-leading 17th win of the year.
He got Alex Bregman whiffing at a 99 mph fastball in the first inning before striking out Ceddanne Rafaela on another 99 mph fastball in the second inning to help get out of a jam and strand runners on second and third.
The left-hander also got some help from his defense — and the Red Sox — in that second inning.
After Fried walked the leadoff man on four pitches, Nick Sogard lofted a single to left field that Jasson Domínguez fielded and fired to third to nail Nate Eaton.
“I thought his stuff was really good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s 97-98 typically when he steps on a four-seam. Today he was 98-99. Fenway in September will do that to you.”
With their win Friday, the Yankees clinched their 33rd straight winning season, which trails only their 39-year streak from 1926-1964 as the longest in the four major sports.
“I think it says we’re playing meaningful baseball year in and year out, especially this time of year,” Boone said. “Obviously our goal every year is to get into the postseason and go win a World Series. But the fact that there’s been that level of consistency … it’s a pretty remarkable feat. I think it’s a testament to a lot of people that have been a part of this organization from between the lines to upstairs [the front office] to whatever it may be to have that level of consistency in major sports. It’s pretty impressive.”
Anthony Volpe (left shoulder) took ground balls before Saturday’s game, trying to make himself available off the bench while José Caballero (1-for-4, double) started a fourth straight game at shortstop.
Volpe is still recovering from the cortisone injection he received Wednesday, though at this point it may be Caballero’s job to lose down the stretch.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
