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After a defensive performance worthy (or rather unworthy) of Cirque du Soleil against the Tampa Bay Rays last night (Monday)—in which they committed no fewer than four official errors—the New York Yankees are now on life support in these 2026 playoffs.
And to save their season, manager Aaron Boone will put Max Fried on the mound at Yankee Stadium tomorrow (Wednesday).
There had been speculation that Carlos Rodon would take the mound—he has yet to pitch in this postseason—but the decision was made before the start of Game 2 of the American League Division Series, and Rodon will have to wait until Game 4, if necessary.
Yankees reveal pitching plan for Game 3 and potentially beyond https://t.co/59ohrbzrw6 pic.twitter.com/Gw4FTLvB4x
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) October 6, 2026
Whether it's Fried or Rodon, it will be a matchup that favors the Bombers, simply because they're left-handers. The Rays have a team OPS of .751 against right-handers, while they post a .678 OPS against left-handed pitchers.
However, Fried is one of the league's best ground-ball pitchers and excels at pitching against contact hitters. Since Rays hitters don't strike out often, this could work in the left-hander's favor.
The Rays' 1,145 strikeouts and 18.8% strikeout rate are the lowest in Major League Baseball. On the other end of the spectrum, Fried boasts a ground-ball rate in the 83rd percentile, a barrel rate of 2.4%, and an average exit velocity of 85.9 MPH.
So this should be quite a showdown—provided the defense holds up—because there will be a lot of balls in play. And there's absolutely NO guarantee of that.
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