Max Fried’s All-Star Game Ends Early Due to Injury
Max Fried’s first All-Star season took a disappointing turn on Saturday when he had to exit his last start before the break. He left the game after just three innings due to a blister on his left index finger.
This outing marked a rough patch for the left-hander, who endured his shortest start since joining the Yankees this offseason, giving up four runs (three earned) in only three innings of play.
With a break on the horizon, the Yankees are likely reflecting on Fried’s history of dealing with blisters on his pitching hand, having spent time on the injured list for the same issue in four separate seasons prior to 2023.
Throughout Saturday’s game, Fried struggled significantly with his control. He walked three batters and needed 73 pitches to retire just nine batters, which is, um, far from ideal.
Interestingly, this was the third consecutive start where Fried seemed a bit off, especially given how spectacular he was in the Bronx at the beginning of the season.
In the span of those three outings, he has allowed 10 runs over 14 innings, causing his ERA to rise from 1.89 to 2.43 across five starts. It’s a bit concerning, to be honest.
Nico Horner was among those who faced Fried, hitting a notable triple in the left-center field that Trent Grisham tried to chase down. Earlier in the game, Kyle Tucker’s grounder allowed Horner to score the first run, part of a tough inning that Fried just couldn’t shake off.
The lefty faced more trouble in the third inning after a leadoff single from Tucker and a subsequent double from Seiya Suzuki. With runners at second and third, Carson Kelly found a way to reach on an infield single that tallied another run for the Cubs. I mean, things just spiraled from there.
After a solid hit from Pete Crow-Armstrong that advanced Suzuki, the Yankees missed a chance to complete a double play, letting Suzuki score and extend the lead to 3-0.
In a series of unfortunate events, Fried allowed an error leading to yet another run when Jazz Chisholm Jr. threw one past Paul Goldschmidt.
After managing to conclude the inning, Fried’s day ended as Ian Hamilton took over on the mound.
