Max Fried dazzles again after early jam as Yankees bounce back with win over Guardians

It was less a calculated Cleveland threat and more a series of events that were not breaking right for Max Fried.

After two quick first-inning outs, José Ramírez flared a broken-bat looper in front of third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. for a single.

Fried tried to pick him off, but first baseman Ben Rice couldn’t handle the dart that moved Ramírez to second.

Ramírez more cleanly stole third, and Fried could not finish off David Fry, who took first base when a full-count curveball from Fried went awry.

Fry stole second, and Fried engaged in a long, eight-pitch battle with Carlos Santana, the game feeling — for a second straight start and for really only the second time this season — as if Fried might lack complete control.

Max Fried throws a pitch during the Yankees’ win against the Guardians on June 5.

Max Fried reacts during the Yankees’ win against the Guardians on June 5.

But like the lefty’s gorgeous curveball, which looks as if it slips out of his hand before it begins its plunge, the night reversed in a hurry.

Arguably the best pitcher in the American League escaped that first-inning jam by inducing a pop-up from Santana, which was the first and only Guardians chance against Fried in a 4-0, series-clinching Yankees victory in front of 41,665 in The Bronx on Thursday.

“He’s really good,” manager Aaron Boone said bluntly of Fried after his club won the eighth of its past nine series and matched a high-water mark in reaching 15 games over .500 at 38-23.

After a snoozer of a shutout loss Wednesday, the Yankees bounced back.

And after Fried endured a rough day at Dodger Stadium on Friday, he, too, showed resilience.

“For me, it was just important in getting back to doing what I really do well,” said Fried, who lowered his ERA to 1.78 and helped his team to an 11th win in 13 of his starts.

The Yankees’ 2025 ace got through that 28-pitch first inning perhaps tired but not trailing.

The Guardians’ shot was over, Fried retiring 11 straight — a streak interrupted by a walk to Bo Naylor, who then was erased by a double play off Jhonkensy Noel’s bat — even if he was not as economical as he wanted.

Cleveland fouled off 16 pitches to consistently hang around at-bats but had nothing to show for it.

That first-inning infield hit from Ramírez, which traveled an estimated 94 feet, was the Guardians’ lone hit against him.

Cody Bellinger rounds the bases during the Yankees’ win on June 5.

“They did a great job of just running deep counts,” said Fried, who struck out seven over his six shutout innings.

Opponents rave about his pitch mix, Fried mixing in six distinct pitch types on this night.

They complain about his curveball.

They also frequently highlight his brain.

“He knows how to pitch,” said Chisholm, his longtime NL opponent, who has gone 2-for-16 (.125) against Fried in his career. “I think my batting average against him is lower than my batting average right now [which is .207], so it’s kind of crazy.”

Fried’s excellence was supported partially by Chisholm, who knocked an RBI single, largely by three RBIs from Cody Bellinger (including a two-run home run in the fourth) and quality escape work from Tim Hill.

In what was then a two-run game, Mark Leiter Jr. encountered trouble in the seventh, punctuated by a carbon copy of one of the more horrific memories in recent Yankees memory: With runners on first and second, Gabriel Arias grounded into the shortstop hole, and Anthony Volpe fielded and swung to Chisholm at third base — and just like in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, it didn’t work out.

Aaron Judge (l.) and Cody Bellinger (r.) celebrate after scoring on Bellinger’s home run on June 5.

This time Volpe threw to the outside of the bag, but Chisholm could not hold on to a throw that was a bit wide.

That loaded the bases with one out and the tying run on second, which prompted Boone to call for Hill.

“Sometimes you just got to trust yourself,” said Hill, who struck out Naylor before getting Noel to fly out.

The Yankees out-hit Cleveland 10-3, though their offense began slowly.

They did not record a hit until Slade Cecconi’s 42nd pitch, which became an Aaron Judge double with one out in the fourth.

Cecconi’s 43rd pitch became their second hit, Bellinger drilling his ninth homer (and seventh at the Stadium) into the right-field seats.

“To finally break through after a tough night offensively [Wednesday] night was big,” Boone said.