Last weekend when the AL East-leading New York Yankees (then 30-19) visited Coors Field to play the historically bad Colorado Rockies (then 8-42), a sweep seemed inevitable.
Reality hit on Friday night when RHP Tanner Gordon led the Rockies to a surprising 3-2 win.
The next day, however, Max Fried would set things right as he dazzled over 7 ⅓ innings, striking out seven and giving up six hits that would result in only one run. As he told media after the game, his fastball was working, and he used it aggressively to shut down a feeble Rockies offense.
Fried was also in top defensive form, picking off two base runners at first.
On Sunday, Fried answered a few questions in the Coors Field Visiting Clubhouse about adjusting to Yankee Stadium, the increased vertical movement of his sinker, and what it would take to get him back in the box.
(This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.)
Renee Dechert: This is your first season with the Yankees. Everything indicates you’ve taken to it pretty well. What kind of adjustments have you had to make for pitching at Yankee Stadium?
Max Fried: Physically, not too much. I feel like I’m just being myself. I’m not trying to do anything too crazy, realizing it’s the same game, and I just want to be myself and not try to be anything else. But as far as the transition, being around these guys in this clubhouse has made it really easy. They’ve welcomed me in, and it’s been a seamless transition so far.
RD: When you say “Be yourself,” what do you mean by that?
MF: Just be the same person and the player that I’ve been in my career. I’m not trying to do more or trying to be more than what I’ve already done.
RD: So far this season, you seem to be using your sinker more and your curveball less. Can you talk a little bit about that change?
MF: It’s not anything that’s, I guess, premeditated. It’s just kind of what’s happened. I’ve never gone into a season or a game saying, “I’m going to throw my curveball less,” or “I’m going to throw a certain pitch more.” It’s just when, when you get out there, sometimes, you lean on one over the other.
RD: Your sinker is showing a significant change in vertical movement. Have you made adjustments to get that?
MF: Yeah, I’ve made a few adjustments when I came over, and they seem to be working.
RD: Can you talk a bit about that?
MF: it’s just more of a grip change. They showed me a grip that was a little bit better for me, and I’ve just been trying to throw it, and it’s been getting some results right now.
RD: You’ve won three gold gloves. We saw some of your defensive work yesterday, when you picked off two runners. Can you talk a bit about how defense became so much a part of your game and your development in this area?
MF: I grew up playing positions. I played first base and outfield growing up, and being an athlete, just taking pride in my defense was something that I always really enjoyed. And then when I converted to just being a pitcher, it was my way of trying to still have some athleticism on the field, and also realizing that fielding your position and holding runners and things of that nature is a real benefit, especially to pitching, getting deep into games, and trying to win. So just keeping that emphasis,
RD: In 2021, you won a Silver Slugger, which suggests you’re pretty good on the other side of the plate.
Seth Lugo told me last year he feels like he has an advantage over a lot of younger pitchers because of his experience as a hitter. Have you had a similar experience?
MF: I would definitely say it gives you perspective. When you’re standing in the box and you’re facing a major-league pitcher and you’re seeing what it looks like from that end, it just gives you perspective on how hard it is actually. So that’s the one thing that I do miss, is being able to step in the box and see what it looks like to give you that reassurance that what you’re doing on the mound is really hard to do and really hard to hit.
RD: Do you think there’s ever a chance you’ll get to hit again. I know Germán Márquez misses it a lot.
MF: Maybe if there’s a certain situation where we burn every bench guy and we get into a lot of extra innings and something crazy happens, but I’m not expecting it, but if it ever happens, I’ll be ready.
RD: You went to high school with Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito. Did you keep up with those guys?
MF: Yeah, absolutely. We can keep in touch all the time. I follow every one of their starts. I make sure when, when they’re pitching, I check the box score and send the messages and stuff like that.
RD: What’s it been like, watching the three of you evolve in the way that you have?
MF: It’s really cool. You realize that it’s rare, and something that not a lot of people kind of have, but we try to make the most of it, or at least just support each other. You know, it’s a hard game, and it’s hard to do it, so just to give our friends support. It’s important.
RD: Last one from me. What’s the best pitch you’ve shown so far this season?
MF: Wow. Best pitch I’ve thrown this season [long pause]. I don’t know if I have a single pitch, not one that stands out to me the way it was like, “That was the one.”
RD: Can you think of one?
MF: There’s one in the past. It was the first glove-side two seamer that I had thrown, and I had struck out Starling Marte.
RD: Can you take me through it?
MF: I want to say was 2023? I threw it, and it was the first time that I had gotten it called, and I executed it, and I struck him out. And it was like a moment of “That, that felt really good.”
