Well, on his pace to win the Cy Young, Max Fried has quickly made history during his time as a New York Yankee. Fried, 30, continues to pitch high, improving his record to 8-1. With a 1.78 ERA, Fried put himself in the record books, dating back 40+ years, for the lowest ERA by a Yankees pitcher in the first 13 starts of a season.
Max Fried Makes History Dating Back to 1984
No pitcher has put up the ERA that Fried has in the first 13 starts of a season since Phil Niekro did it in 1984. Niekro just edged out Fried, as his ERA was 1.73 during his 13-game span. Regardless, Fried has put himself into an elite category that further defines how impressive he’s been to start the 2025 campaign.
Max Fried’s 1.78 ERA is the lowest by a Yankees pitcher in his first 13 starts of a season since Phil Niekro in 1984 (1.73)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 6, 2025
Niekro was most known for his time on the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, which is fitting as Fried played on that team from 2017-24. Born in 1939, Niekro had a career 3.35 ERA as he was a five-time All-Star from 1964 to 87.
Niekro is not only a member of the Braves Hall of Fame but also had his No. 35 retired and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. He began his career 1959 for the Milwaukee Braves, signing with the team for $250.
Ultimately, that $250, even with inflation, is nothing compared to Fried’s eight-year, $218 million deal with New York. The former Braves pitcher set himself up for success, and now he’s proving he’s worth every penny.
Having won a World Series in 2021, Fried is hungry for more. He finds himself on a Yankees team that made it there last year, but fell short to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s worth noting that the Yankees have a new ace on their squad, who could benefit a team looking to make another deep run into the postseason.
The two-time All-Star is well on his way to a third, which would be back-to-back seasons as an All-Star. In 2024, he finished with an 11-10 record and a 3.25 ERA. While he was putting up career numbers in the year prior, his 8-1 record and 2.55 ERA don’t mean as much as he was limited to just 14 starts due to numerous injuries. Here in 2025, he has already started 13 games.
With 77 strikeouts to 18 walks, Fried continues to dominate in the K/BB department. His best ratio was in 2022, the first year he was an All-Star, as he struck out 170 batters and walked just 32 in 185.1 innings pitched. That remains the most innings he’s pitched in any season throughout his nine-year career.