Max Fried pitched eight shutout innings, leading the New York Yankees to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Amed Rosario's three-run homer provided the early run support needed for the win.
Key points
Max Fried pitched eight shutout innings
Yankees defeated Red Sox 4-1
Amed Rosario hit a three-run homer
Gerrit Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery
Fried's performance solidifies his ace status
Max FriedNew York YankeesBoston Red SoxAmed Rosario
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 22: Starting pitcher Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on April 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 22: Starting pitcher Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on April 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite giving him the richest contract for a left-handed pitcher in baseball history, the Yankees didn’t sign Max Fried to be an ace. They envisioned pairing him with 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole atop a formidable rotation, but expected to see them together as a 1-2 postseason punch for years to come.
As Yankees fans know, that didn’t happen. Cole underwent Tommy John surgery last March, and that suddenly thrust the former World Series champion into the undisputed ace role for the foreseeable future. And with players not usually returning to top shape after returning from UCL reconstruction surgery, the balance of power was now firmly shifted to Fried being the ace of the New York Yankees.
Well, as he makes his 40th start as a Yankee (playoffs included) tonight, he continues to show why that is a worthy moniker. After dealing against the rival Red Sox all year in 2025, he started 2026 with a bang, tossing eight shutout innings at Fenway Park on Wednesday, giving no room to breathe for a struggling offense. All the run support he needed came early on two big swings by Amed Rosario, as the Yankees secured a series victory, 4-1.
The Yankees jumped on right away. After the former all-star retired two of the first three batters he faced, picked up where he left off last night by smacking a ball off the Green Monster in left field for a double to set up Rosario with second and third, two out. Shortly after Michael Kay noted the usual platoon bat’s reverse splits, Rosario evened those up in a hurry, pimping a three-run bomb over the Monster to give the Yankees a quick 3-0 lead.
Fried toed the slab in the bottom half of the inning and pitched around a one-out walk by to produce a shutdown inning. Suarez settled in to retire 8-9-1 in the Yankees’ order in the second, and his offense looked to respond immediately with a leadoff walk by and a double off the Monster by . With runners on second and third and nobody out, Fried gritted his teeth and pulled a Houdini act by striking out the bottom of Boston’s weakened lineup in order to somehow escape without allowing a run.
That big momentum swing allowed the same part of the Yankees’ lineup to further extend the lead. singled, Stanton hit yet another double off the Monster, and Rosario lifted a long sac fly to the warning track in left field to make it 4-0. Fried would pitch around a two-out single by to finish off the third.
Suarez got another 1-2-3 inning against the bottom of the order in the fourth, and Duran once again doubled off the wall, a fascinating development for a player who has not only struggled his entire career against Fried but also against lefties. Despite once again getting a runner in scoring position, though, Boston stranded it with a groundout and a routine flyout.
Judge walked with one out in the fifth, stole second, and got to third on a groundout, prompting Alex Cora to emerge from the dugout to bring in right-hander against Stanton, who promptly induced an inning-ending pop fly. Fried continued to deal as Boston’s lineup flipped over once again, sitting them down in order in the fifth.
With the lefty out of the game, Aaron Boone deployed both and in place of Rosario and , but both struck out against Kelly. With due up, Cora summoned Eduardo Rivera, a World Baseball Classic standout from Puerto Rico, for his MLB debut, and he tallied his first career strikeout against the continually struggling Chisholm.
The game started to enter a lull as neither team’s offense could get going. Fried had back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to get through seven innings, while Rivera rolled along to save the bullpen, only giving up an infield single to that was erased on a complicated rundown double play.
Fried stayed on to start the bottom of the eighth and got helped out by his defense. entered for defense in the sixth and made a play on the third-base line, but made that look like child’s play to start the eighth. Isiah Kiner-Falefa ripped a liner down the line that McMahon sprawled out to make a spectacular catch on to take away a double.
After that, it was back-to-back strikeouts of and Contreras to wrap up eight remarkable innings for the Yankee ace. Nine strikeouts, just three hits and two walks allowed, pure dominance. In five starts against the Red Sox as a Yankee (including his wasted Game 1 gem in the Wild Card Series), Fried has a 1.10 ERA in 32.2 innings. If nothing else, having an ace that always goes out and shoves against your biggest rival is a tremendous privilege.
After Rivera wrapped up an impressive 3.1 frames in his first career appearance, got the call to pitch the ninth against the heart of the order. Of course, it wasn’t easy, as a pair of hits by and Duran (whose three hits today were approximately 60 percent of Boston’s offense) broke up the shutout and was a ball away from walking to bring up the tying run. Thankfully, a strong play by Caballero and a scoop by ended the ballgame.
The Yankees will go for their first three-game sweep in Fenway Park since September 2021 tomorrow night at 6:10pm EST. It’ll be the Walpole kid, , looking to provide an encore to his Wild Card heroics last October against a starter to be determined. was initially scheduled to go, but was to Friday.
Q&A
What was Max Fried's performance against the Red Sox on April 22, 2026?
Max Fried pitched eight shutout innings, allowing no runs and striking out multiple batters, securing a 4-1 victory for the Yankees.
How did Amed Rosario contribute to the Yankees' win over the Red Sox?
Amed Rosario hit a three-run homer early in the game, providing crucial run support for the Yankees.
What impact did Gerrit Cole's injury have on the Yankees' pitching rotation?
Gerrit Cole's Tommy John surgery forced Max Fried into the ace role, changing the dynamics of the Yankees' pitching staff.
What was the final score of the Yankees vs. Red Sox game on April 22, 2026?
The final score was 4-1 in favor of the New York Yankees.
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