Max Fried Great As New York Yankees Defeat Toronto Blue Jays In Game 1 of 2

Max Fried pitched well again. The Yankees are now 6-0 in his starts, and he moved to 5-0. He has been outstanding this season, and the Yankees need him to be the ace of their pitching staff. The Yankees won this game 11-2. It is difficult to take two games in a doubleheader, but the Yankees now have a good chance behind Clarke Schmidt in game two. Do you think it is difficult to win both halves of a doubleheader?

Lineups

The Blue Jays had Bo Bichette batting first and playing shortstop. Addison Barger pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the first baseman and batted second. Will Wagner pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. Anthony Santander batted third and was the designated hitter. George Springer, the right fielder, is batting fourth. Alan Roden went into right field for him in the 7th inning.

Alejandro Kirk was the catcher and batted fifth. Andrés Giménez was the second baseman and batted sixth. Ernie Clement was the third baseman and batted seventh. Jonatan Clase was the left fielder and batted eighth. Myles Straw was the center fielder and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Ben Rice led off and was the designated hitter. Aaron Judge was the right fielder, batting second. Pablo Reyes pinch-hit for him in the 7th inning. Cody Bellinger batted third and was the center fielder. Paul Goldschmidt was the first baseman and batted fourth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. batted fifth and played second base.

Anthony Volpe batted sixth and was the shortstop. Oswald Peraza came in for him defensively in the ninth inning. Austin Wells batted seventh and was the catcher.  Pitcher Tyler Matzek entered in his spot in the lineup in the ninth inning. Jasson Dominguez was the left fielder and batted eighth. Oswaldo Cabrera was the third baseman and batted ninth. 

Scoring Summary: Max Fried Gets Run Support

In the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out and Bichette scored. That gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. In the third inning, Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly and Cabrera scored. That run tied the game at 1. Later in that inning, the Yankees loaded the bases. Chisholm Jr. waked and Rice scored. Then Volpe walked, and Judge walked. The score was 3-1 Yankees. Wells then doubled, scoring Goldschmidt, Volpe, and Chisholm Jr. Then it was 6-1 Yankees.

In the fifth inning, Volpe hit a solo home run. It was his first home run since April 2. That home run extended the lead to 7-1. Then Cabrera doubled in both Jasson Dominguez and Wells. That made the score 9-1 Yankees. In the sixth inning, Goldschmidt doubled in Bellinger. That run extended the Yankees’ lead to 10-1.

In the eighth inning, Chisholm Jr. reached base on a fielder’s choice and Bellinger scored, making the score 11-1 Yankees. Finally, in the ninth inning, Addison Barger doubled and Straw scored. The final score was 11-2.

Game Notes

The weather was 56 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was partly cloudy at the start of the game. After yesterday’s rain out, The Bronx is in for a stretch of good weather. Judge (322) had the fourth-most home runs in Yankees history on his 33rd birthday, which was yesterday. Those ahead of him are Mickey Mantle (454), Lou Gehrig (394), and Babe Ruth (367). That is pretty good company. He singled in the third inning extending his on-base streak to 23 games.

Blue Jays starting pitcher, and ace of their staff, Kevin Gausman walked 5 batters in the 3rd inning. He threw 53 pitches in the third inning and was ejected from the game. Gausman stumbled down the steps of the dugout arguing with the home plate umpire. He was replaced by Paxton Schultz. The Yankees walked 6 times in the inning, which lasted 35 minutes.

Luis Gil threw on the field before the game. The Yankees need him back. DJ LeMahieu was 6-of-10 in his rehabilitation assignment at AA Somerset. He is now expected to move to AAA Scranton Wilkes-Bare. Soon the Yankees will get reinforcements. Blue Jays Manager John Schneider was ejected too in the top of the third inning. Don Mattingly, former Yankee Captain became the acting manager.

Fried calls his own game. He has a Pitch Com on his belt. With how well he pitches, this is something that should continue. Devin Williams has rightfully been removed from the closer role. Yerry de los Santos, the Yankees 27th man for the doubleheader, relieved Fried in the 7th inning.

How Good Has Max Fried Been?

Very good. The Yankees needed that with ace Gerrit Cole out for the year with an elbow injury. The Yankees need Fried to be the new ace of their pitching staff. In his 6 starts this year, he has allowed only six runs and has struck out 36. Fried has a 1.43 ERA.

Conclusion

Fried has gotten fantastic run support in his starts this season. This is ironic because he has not needed the run support as he has been fantastic. Fried is just the kind of ace the Yankees need and Gil is making good progress and will return from the injured list soon. The Yankees start a series with the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow.