The New York Yankees finally got Max Fried and Gerrit Cole on the mound together, and the wait paid off.
Fried and Cole shared a Yankees rotation for the first time as teammates, and both delivered performances that justified the combined $542 million investment the organization made in the pairing. Fried tossed five scoreless innings in a 2-0 nightcap win, while Cole struck out a season-high 11 batters over seven innings earlier in the day, even as New York fell 5-3 in 10 innings during the opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Fried Shows No Rust in Return
GettyMax Fried of the New York Yankees.
Fried hadn’t pitched in the majors in over two months, and his outing showed little sign of the layoff. He touched 98.5 mph, the fastest pitch of his season, and needed just 57 pitches to record 15 outs while mixing in seven distinct pitch types. Six of those offerings generated at least one swing-and-miss, and Fried finished with seven strikeouts.
His defense backed him up throughout, with Cody Bellinger throwing out a runner at second base in the first inning and Ryan McMahon making several sharp plays on the left side of the infield. Fried allowed just a single hit in his return from the elbow bone bruise that sidelined him since mid-May.
He described the outing simply.
“This is my favorite thing to do,” Fried said.
Reliever Will Warren, who closed out the nightcap, called the day a showcase of what the rotation can look like at full strength.
“You saw a master class today,” Warren said.
A Pairing Nearly Two Years in the Making
Wednesday’s doubleheader represented the first time Fried and Cole had shared a mound since New York signed Fried to an eight-year, $218 million deal in December 2024, intended to pair him alongside Cole’s $324 million contract. Injuries kept that vision from materializing for a long stretch, with Cole’s Tommy John surgery in 2025 followed by Fried’s own injury this season.
Fried reflected on finally getting there.
“Better late than never,” Fried said.
Cole echoed that sentiment about missing his rotation partner for so long.
“It’s nice that it’s finally come to fruition,” Cole said.
Cole Delivers Elite Stuff of His Own
GettyGerrit Cole of the New York Yankees.
Cole’s outing in the opener stood out as one of his best since returning from surgery, even in a losing effort. He missed bats consistently throughout his seven innings. He allowed four hits, two of which left the ballpark, while racking up his strikeout total.
The Yankees offense didn’t give him much support. New York went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the opener. A three-run home run from Ben Rice in the seventh inning was the only real offensive output. The nightcap followed a similar pattern. New York was held scoreless until the seventh inning, when a double from Jasson Dominguez and a single from Anthony Volpe produced the two runs that ended up winning the game.
The Bigger Picture for the Yankees’ Rotation
Dominguez praised the larger group taking shape in the rotation. It already includes Cam Schlittler, a legitimate American League Cy Young contender. It could soon add Carlos Rodon back into the mix following a scheduled bullpen session.
Manager Aaron Boone pointed directly to Fried and Cole as central to New York’s outlook the rest of the season, with the Yankees sitting 2.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays at 57-45.
“We have high hopes this year,” Boone said.
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