The New York Yankees needed a jolt to start their pivotal series against the Baltimore Orioles, and Max Fried delivered it like a thunderclap. Under the lights at Camden Yards, Fried put together his sharpest performance of the season, leading the Yankees to a 7-0 win that felt as commanding as the score suggests.
It wasn’t just a victory—it was a statement. By shutting down the Orioles lineup, the Yankees trimmed their deficit behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays to just three games. The Blue Jays still hold the tiebreaker, but with Fried anchoring the rotation like a true ace, the idea of a late surge suddenly feels less like hope and more like possibility.
Fried delivers his most dominant outing yet
The Yankees gave their $218 million left-hander a bit of early breathing room thanks to Amed Rosario, who lined a two-run double before Fried even took the mound. From there, the night became his personal showcase.
Fried carved through Baltimore’s lineup with surgical precision, tossing seven scoreless innings, surrendering just three singles, walking one, and striking out 13. He generated 28 whiffs on 45 swings—a jaw-dropping 62 percent whiff rate—and coaxed a swing-and-miss on each of his seven pitches at least once.
At times, Orioles hitters looked like they were trying to swat fireflies in the dark. Fried’s fastball darted late, his curveball fell off the table, and his command rarely wavered. Now sporting an 18-5 record and a 2.92 ERA, he has been everything the Yankees envisioned when they invested in him—and maybe even more. He didn’t just dominate; he imposed his will.
Seventh-inning surge puts game out of reach
Though the Yankees entered the seventh with a comfortable 3-0 lead, no cushion has felt entirely safe lately given their shaky bullpen. The lineup erased that concern in a hurry.
Jose Caballero walked and eventually came home on a Paul Goldschmidt base hit. Austin Wells then scored on an Aaron Judge sacrifice fly, and a few batters later Giancarlo Stanton ripped a two-run double to the gap. In one swift rally, the Yankees turned a cautious lead into a 7-0 romp, giving their relievers a rare stress-free night.
It was the kind of inning that can swing momentum—not just for a game, but for an entire series.
Volpe shows flashes of his old spark
Anthony Volpe’s season has been defined by frustration, injury, and quiet whispers of doubt. But on Thursday, he gave a glimpse of the player the Yankees still believe he can be.
Volpe went just 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, but his lone hit was a ringing double that left the bat at 102.4 mph. Just as encouraging, he immediately stole third base, injecting the kind of energy that once made him such a tantalizing prospect.
Playing through a partially torn labrum, Volpe’s progress has been slow and uneven, but nights like this hint that confidence is returning. Even small steps can become turning points.
Overaggression on the basepaths lingers
Not everything clicked perfectly. The Yankees’ new post-deadline aggressiveness on the bases occasionally crossed into recklessness.
In the second inning, Caballero reached on a bunt single only to be picked off before he could steal second. Later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. suffered a similar fate. Both are among the team’s most daring runners, and that mindset has created chaos for opponents—but it also creates unnecessary outs when the timing isn’t there.
It’s a tradeoff the Yankees seem willing to live with, but one they’ll need to refine if they want their late-season push to stick.
On this night, though, Fried’s brilliance made every misstep irrelevant. The Yankees looked like a team capable of more than just hanging around the race—they looked like one ready to chase it down.