Fried's final spring tuneup wasn't perfect, and that was perfect for him

TAMPA, Fla. -- There was no ceremonial reveal when Max Fried learned he would be making his first Opening Day start as a member of the Yankees -- just a pitcher and his manager in a windowless office, huddled over a calendar.

“It was just going through my schedule, like, ‘Hey, you’ve got Game 1, so where do we want to line everything up to make sure you’re ready for that?’” Fried recalled on Thursday.

The March 25 assignment against the Giants at Oracle Park made this outing, a Grapefruit League exhibition against the Orioles at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the final systems check.

It wasn’t flawless, with Fried permitting three runs and five hits over five innings during the Yankees' 5-4 win over Baltimore, but the 32-year-old left-hander declared himself ready. In fact, he’d almost prefer it this way.

Cruising through Baltimore’s lineup wouldn’t have provided much feedback; working with traffic on the bases and navigating Coby Mayo’s second-inning two-run homer offered what he called opportunities for “problem solving.”

“Definitely not sharp, but also the perfect amount of being able to make that adjustment and know that things aren’t going to be the best,” said Fried, who walked four and struck out two in an 81-pitch effort. “You’ve got to go out there in the middle of the game and try to figure it out and get through it. So I felt like it was a really nice tune-up.”

Fried filled the role of Yankees ace last year, but Carlos Rodón received the Opening Day nod, due in part to the timing of Gerrit Cole’s season-ending Tommy John surgery. This will represent the fourth career Opening Day start for Fried, who previously received the honors in 2021, ’22 and ’23 with the Braves.

“He’s one of the game’s really good ones,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It speaks for itself, how great he was for us last year. He’s not only an outstanding pitcher, but now one of the leaders in that room, and one of the critical people in our group and our culture. I’m excited to give him the ball and go see him do his thing.”

Though the assignment seemed like a foregone conclusion from the outside, Fried said it was “definitely a surprise,” saying he felt “very honored and grateful.”

“You try to put it in perspective that it’s just the first game; it’s no more important than a game in June,” Fried said. “You want to go out there and start off on a good foot. I just want to put in a really good position to be able to win a game.”

Fried said he feels more settled than a year ago, when he was still trying to acclimate after signing an eight-year, $218 million contract.

“I was just trying to figure out what everyone’s name was,” he said.

Maybe so, but he delivered. Finishing with a 19-5 record and 2.86 ERA in 32 starts, Fried set career highs in wins, starts (32), innings pitched (195 1/3) and strikeouts (189), earning selection as an American League All-Star.

After six-plus weeks of exhibition work, Fried is ready for games that will count, believing this Yankees squad can take a step forward after bowing out in the American League Division Series last October.

“I definitely think it can be a better team,” Fried said. “We’ve got a lot of really good players. We’ve got to go show it.”