AL WILD CARD SERIES: RED SOX VS YANKEES

September 29, 2026

Max Fried

Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Before talking about tomorrow night, obviously with Cam on the mound tonight how impressed have you just been with everything that you've seen in the time you've got to know him to the point where he did what he did this year?

MAX FRIED: I mean, you're talking about a guy that had an unbelievable season, made every single start, had a sub-2.00 ERA, gonna win the Cy Young. Let alone -- that's an impressive season for anyone let alone your first full season in the big leagues.

So what he's been able to do, it's really impressive. You don't see it very often. And definitely happy that he's on our side and I get to watch him tonight. He's definitely ready. But it's an extremely special year.

Q. You're on a couple of extra days' rest. How good has that been for you and what have you been able to do over this time? This is a little unusual.

MAX FRIED: Couple extra days, but you take the ball whenever the manager gives it to you. I'm just really excited. I'm feeling good. And I'm just excited to be able to take the ball and try to win a baseball game.

Q. What do you think the chance of potentially either saving the Yankees season or clinching tomorrow?

MAX FRIED: It's the same. Anytime I take the ball, whether it's the regular season or the playoffs, I have the feeling that we have to win today's game.

I'm going to take that same intensity and focus that I have for a regular season game where I feel like it's a game that we have to win and just roll that into tomorrow and know that we've got a lot of guys -- we've got 26 guys in that clubhouse that are ready to go in, and I'll be right there with them.

Q. The last month is the first time this year that you, Cam, Gerrit and Carlos were all healthy at the same time. I guess how big of an advantage do you think that is going into the playoffs that you guys are all available? And just what do you think is the potential of that quartet?

MAX FRIED: It's something that I was looking forward to when I first signed here. It took a little bit longer than anyone probably would have expected. But also we were able to add another really, really quality arm in Cam. He's obviously been doing great things.

But it starts with starting pitching, keep you in the game. We take a lot of pride in being able to put our best foot forward, and we have a lot of confidence in all those guys that are going be able to take the ball.

But, yeah, it starts with the starting pitching we have to keep us in the game, and we know that our offense is plenty capable of putting up runs. And, yeah, we do all that together, we should be able to come out with a win.

Q. Since you returned from the injured list, have you felt anything in your elbow? Has it been fine? How do you feel like your command has been over the past month since returning?

MAX FRIED: I would say that the command has gotten a lot better. I think just the pitching to the not pitching to getting back into it again was a little bit rusty. But over my last couple, I feel normal, I feel like the same me. I'm not really worrying about my health going into the start.

Q. You mentioned how you were able to plug Cam into this rotation. When did he come onto your radar, and what jumped out at you when you first got to know him a little bit?

MAX FRIED: Not this Spring Training, last Spring Training, he made a couple of starts in spring. And kind of -- it was the first time I'd seen or really heard about him. Then throughout the year, you hear the buzz of this guy that's throwing 95 to 100 in the minors and obviously brings up your attention.

And then just see what he did down the stretch last year and what he was able to do. It's a really hard game. And he's been really, really good so far. And he's been throwing a bunch of things at him and he's been able to make the adjustment, which is really hard to do as a young player.

And all the credit to him. He works really hard. He has a really good attitude. And he's obviously got the talent. He's in a really good spot to succeed.

Q. Just how fortunate are you guys to have everybody in the rotation all together now pitching well, just based on what people came off of? Gerrit was coming back, first year from Tommy John. You had a couple IL stints with the elbow. Cam made it all the way through, which is tough to do these days, to make that many starts. I don't know if lucky's the right word to say, or you guys worked really hard to make sure that could happen, or how would you kind of describe it?

MAX FRIED: Obviously with Gerrit coming back from surgery, that was a big boost. I know that -- I know how important it was for me and Carlos to try to make as many starts and to be healthy throughout the whole year like we did last year. And we definitely were frustrated by the fact that we had to go on the IL a couple of times.

But this was the goal. The goal was to make sure that we were in a good, built-up position and healthy going into September into the playoffs.

That's a credit to the training staff, to the coaches and obviously just the team and everyone else who picked us up when we were down.

It's a long year, and it's not just on one guy. It's a whole clubhouse. And guys that are coming up and down in the minors that really help bring you to this point.

So we understand it's a collective team effort, and we're just really excited that we're healthy at this time of the year to be able to go out and try to win a World Series.

Q. The way last season ended for you, with the outing against the Blue Jays, does that linger for part of the offseason, or are you able to flush that right away?

MAX FRIED: Anytime you don't end the season holding up the trophy, it sits with you. You start in Spring Training and you sacrifice time away from family and everything like that to be able to go out there and have a goal with a group of guys is to be able to go and win a World Series and put yourself in position. When you fall up short, it's tough. You put a lot into it.

It definitely sits with you. And you either let it affect you or you use it as motivation to be able to move forward.

So for me, it was something that fueled me in the offseason. And then once we got into the season, it's a new goal, new year. Wipe it clean. But it's definitely something that helps push you in the offseason when things are quiet and you're working on your own.

Q. Are there specific ways that being part of such a good starting staff has made you better? Like, are you guys competitive with each other? Are you collaborative? Does it just kind of take the pressure off of you when you know there are other guys who can save the season or pick you up? Like, how does kind of having Cam and Cole and Rodón around you make you better?

MAX FRIED: Anytime that you're around peers and also people that are just as good or if not more talented or better than you, it's always going to push you. We're really lucky to have a really great group of guys, especially in the starting rotation, that we're extremely competitive.

We didn't just get here by accident. We're competitive. We've been working hard our whole lives. We take what we do really seriously, but we're also understanding that this is a team game, and we want to win.

So we're the most supportive to each other, but there's definitely -- there's definitely a competition between us where if a guy goes out there and has a good game, not in a selfish way, but you want to be able to match that or do better to be able to help the team win because that's what they were doing.

When you have a rotation like that and players and an environment like that, it sparks a lot of really good, healthy competition that is -- I think it's the reason why we're sitting here today.

It's a long season. There's a lot of ups and downs. But knowing that we have guys that are really good that you have in your corner at all times and also that can compete to push you to be the best that you can, it's a good recipe.

Q. Is that explicit? Will you guys explicitly say to one another, I want to do even better than you just did?

MAX FRIED: I think it's understood at this point.

Q. Wanted to get your thoughts when you looked at the postseason roster and you see Giancarlo Stanton's name on it.

MAX FRIED: He's definitely not a comfortable at-bat no matter if he hasn't taken -- you face him on a backfield or face him in a game with the lights on, he has the same intimidating factor. It's Giancarlo Stanton. He can hit a ball 120 miles an hour and he can change a game really quick.

He's been working really hard. I've seen him a lot. He's been working really hard to get back.

I couldn't be happier for him. I think that when he gets the opportunity to make an impact in the game that he will. But he's an imposing threat and definitely an uncomfortable at-bat every time he steps in the box.