May 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (54) reacts after a double play ending the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried finds himself in elite company after a uniquely dominant start to the season.
In his 11 starts, Fried has managed a 1.29 ERA, and now holds the longest starting streak in Yankees history with two runs or fewer.
The last starting streak this successful by a Yankees pitcher was back in 1978, when Ron Guidry started the season 13-0. Fried's ERA is now second only to Guidry in an 11-start stretch.
Guidry's 1978 season is considered to have been the best in Yankees history. He struck out 18 batters in a game against the California Angels, a record that still stands, and went 25-3 for the season. The Yankees won the World Series that year, and Guidry won the American League Cy Young Award.
Fried's dominance is unique in the MLB overall as well, and he is now only the second pitcher since 1969 (when the mound was lowered) to have an ERA under 1.50 with zero losses and 7+ wins heading into Memorial Day. The other was Pedro Martinez in 1997, who was 8-0 with a 1.17 ERA.
Martinez, an eight-time All-Star who was playing for the Montreal Expos at the time, has also gone down as one of baseball's most dominant pitchers, winning his first of three Cy Young Awards in 1997. In that season, Martinez pitched 13 complete games with a 1.90 ERA and 305 strikeouts.
This isn't even Fried's first unbelievable start, as he pitched 11 games in 2020 for an ERA of 2.20 and a stunning 7-0 record before the season was truncated by the pandemic.
The 31-year-old has also wowed with his pickoff skills lately, which have been described as "disgusting".
The Yankees are thriving on the mound with a team ERA of 3.37, the second-best in the league.
