NEW YORK – If there is a silver lining to the scuffles that have most of the Yankees’ lineup grinding bat handles into sawdust, it’s that they are becoming intimately familiar with the pressure of playing in low-scoring games – exactly the kinds of conditions under which championship teams must shine.
That was Max Fried’s take after watching his Yankees get off the mat late Friday evening at Yankee Stadium, down to their final outs after another punchless display. They flipped the script just in time, riding big hits from Austin Wells and Ben Rice into extra innings before walking off the Braves for a 3-2, 10-inning victory.
“That’s baseball, especially when you come down to the end of the year into playoff baseball,” Fried said. “It’s important to be able to play these tight games and be comfortable playing in tight games. We embrace it.”
Ryan McMahon lifted the game-winning sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 10th. It marked just the Yankees’ second win in 10 extra-inning games this season, coming at the expense of a hot Atlanta club, which had won eight consecutive games as it checked into the Bronx.
“It was a hard-fought game, man,” McMahon said. “It’s good to come out on top. We’ve got to figure that out; we’ve got to get going a little bit more. It’s not from a lack of work or effort, but we’ve got to figure out a way to get going.”
The victory was sealed in part by a fantastic defensive play by first baseman Luis García Jr., who raced into shallow right field, snaring Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 10th-inning pop-up.
“To be honest, I didn’t think I had a chance,” García said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “I felt like the ball was far away from me, but I just ran hard in the direction the ball was going. When I looked up again, I saw that I was closer to it and I had a chance there.”
Come to think of it, the Yankees’ offense might have felt the same way about its odds of a comeback.
Manager Aaron Boone called the win “gritty,” but he also could have used “improbable” – the Braves’ win expectancy stood at 95.7% when Raisel Iglesias struck out Spencer Jones for the first out of the ninth inning.
But the Yankees caught a break, with George Lombard Jr. tapping a dribbler back toward the mound. Iglesias fired errantly past first base, and the rookie raced to third base – the first man in pinstripes to touch that bag all night.
Even though Iglesias recovered to strike out McMahon for the second out (win expectancy, 95.3%), the Yankees had life. Wells stroked a run-scoring double down the right-field line, and Amed Rosario worked an eight-pitch walk to set up Rice, who pelted the right-field wall for a game-tying single.
The drive narrowly missed being a game-winning homer, and it marked Rice’s first hit of August, snapping an 0-for-17 skid to begin the month.
“Our backs were up against the wall, and they were able to deliver,” Boone said. “That was great, and then the pitching did their thing.”
A win like that means plenty throughout the clubhouse, but it might have carried the most significance for Fried, who admitted he’d had the game “circled on the calendar for a little bit.”
Fried spent eight seasons with Atlanta, a place where he developed into one of the league’s top pitchers and celebrated a World Series championship in 2021. Facing his former club for the first time, Fried showed those familiar faces that he has hardly missed a beat, striking out seven over 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
“It definitely brought up a lot of emotions,” Fried said.
Atlanta’s damage came against the bullpen: Austin Riley and Matt Olson cracked solo homers off relievers Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill, respectively.
Credit Trent Grisham – and the Yankees’ keen replay eyes – for ensuring the outcome didn’t tilt earlier. Atlanta believed it had nicked Fried for a first-inning run on a Mauricio Dubón single.
Grisham fired to third base, nabbing a sliding Ozzie Albies to end the inning. A review showed Drake Baldwin hadn’t touched home plate before the tag was applied on Albies, taking the run off the board.
From there, the Braves managed little more against Fried, who allowed three hits with a pair of walks in a 90-pitch effort (57 strikes).
“I’m just really happy for the fight these guys had,” Fried said. “To be able to come back against a really good team like that – it’s a really good win.”