Deadspin | Aaron Judge, Max Fried lead Yankees into series against Rays

Apr 29, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

While Aaron Judge is leading in many hitting categories, Max Fried is atop several pitching areas for the New York Yankees.

Judge takes a major-league-best .427 average into the first game of the new month and Fried will attempt to become the first six-game winner in the major leagues Friday night when the Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a three-game series.

Judge’s average has been over .400 for eight games, and he is on a 27-game on-base streak. Judge hit his 10th homer and reached base four times Wednesday — the sixth time he has done that this season — as the Yankees took a 5-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Judge has homered in three of his past four games and has six of his 32 RBIs in that span. Judge is tied with Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez for the major-league lead in homers, he shares the big-league RBI lead with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, and his 50 hits also lead the majors.

“It’s remarkable,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, I always say we’re running out of superlatives or things to say about it, but what he’s doing is just amazing every game.”

Fried (5-0, 1.19 ERA) is dominating on the mound, similar to Judge at the plate, and is tied for the AL lead with Tyler Mahle of Texas in ERA. He also is tied with Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt and San Diego’s Nick Pivetta for the most wins in the majors and is holding hitters to a .207 average. Fried has allowed two earned runs or less in each start; he allowed an unearned run on five hits in six innings in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I think there’s an inning every start that he gets through and then rolls after that,” New York catcher Austin Wells said of Fried. “That’s why he’s had so much success. That’s why he’s here.”

Fried is facing the Rays for the second time in three starts and is 3-0 with a 0.42 ERA in three career starts against them. He allowed two hits in 7 2/3 innings April 20 in Tampa – the first coming when an official scoring decision on a ball hit by Chandler Simpson in the sixth was changed to a hit from an error prior to the start of the eighth.

The Rays lost three of four to the Yankees two weekends ago and followed up a five-game winning streak by getting outscored 14-3 in a three-game sweep by the visiting Kansas City Royals.

After getting no-hit into the seventh on Wednesday, the Rays allowed a pair of three-run innings and gave up 15 hits while their offense could not keep pace. Yandy Diaz homered, and Simpson had two hits, but the Rays were 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position during the series.

“We didn’t get the hits when the hits really mattered,” Tampa Bay second baseman Brandon Lowe said. “Can’t really speak more than that.”

Ryan Pepiot (2-3, 4.24) will oppose Fried for the second time this season after allowing three runs on six hits in six innings in their previous matchup. He followed his outing against the Yankees by allowing one run on three hits in six innings to get the win on Saturday in San Diego.

Pepiot is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees, whom he has yet to face in New York.

–Field Level Media