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NEW YORK — The Pittsburgh Pirates take on a great pitcher in his return and will have a different lineup for it. The Pirates face off against New York Yankees
Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried throws in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre.
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect NEW YORK — The Pittsburgh Pirates take on a great pitcher in his return and will have a different lineup for it. The Pirates face off against New York Yankees left-handed starting pitcher Max Fried in the second game of the doubleheader/series finale at Yankee Stadium on July 22.
Fried hasn't pitched for the Yankees since May 13, dealing with a left elbow bone bruise, but the game cancellation a day prior allowed him to rejoin the roster for the doubleheader. It will be a tough assignment for the Pirates, who go up against one of the best pitchers in baseball, following their first game of the doubleheader, as they faced Yankees right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole.
The Pirates have five right-handed hitters, two switch hitters and two left-handed batters against Fried tonight.in at designated hitter and batting sixth, Rafael Flores Jr. at catcher and batting eighth, plus Jared Triolo in at shortstop and batting ninth. Jun 5, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna reacts after an overturned call against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park.
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connectmoves to first base and will stay fifth in the lineup, while left-handed batters in Tyler Callihan and Jacob Gonzalez, who were at first base and shortstop in the first game, respectively, are on the bench. Third baseman Nick Gonzales, a right-handed batter, also moves up to second in the lineup, while second baseman Brandon Lowe, a left-handed batter, hits seventh, the fifth time he's hit that low in 2026.
Pittsburgh will keep the same outfield in the same batting order spots, with center fielder Jake Mangum leading off, left fielder Bryan Reynolds batting third and right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez hitting fourth. Fried is a 10-year MLB veteran and is in his second season with the Yankees after signing an eight-year, $218 million contract as a free agent, the biggest contract ever for a southpaw.
He was a two-time All-Star with the Atlanta Braves and earned All-MLB First Team honors in 2020 in his eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves, 2017-24. Oct 2, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried throws during the first inning of game two in the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect Fried also won the 2021 World Series with the Braves and has been excellent with the Yankees, earning another All-Star nod last season. He employs seven pitches in his arsenal, but mostly has six pitches he goes with, featuring his cutter, sinker and four-seam baseball for his higher velocity options and then a curveball, changeup and sweeper for his offspeed choices.
Fried is dominant with his cutter, which his +13 run value on Statcast ranked him as the second-best cutter in baseball last season. His sinker is also quite impressive, while his changeup and curveball are usually his most effective offspeed offerings. Fried won't overpower hitters, but his pitch mix and command make him incredibly difficult for batters to get a hold of, ranking amongst the lowest exit velocity and hard-hit rates of any MLB pitchers.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates! Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.
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