Wednesday was a day Yankees fans have been waiting for.

Max Fried returned from an injury that sidelined the southpaw since May, and he pitched like he never left.

Fried threw five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven. All of this while tossing 57 pitches and being on a strict 60-pitch count. And the Yankees picked up the win.

"He looked great, obviously. I thought, frankly, it's as good as he's looked all year in any of his other starts," manager Aaron Boone said of Fried's performance after the game. "You kinda hoping he can get you through three innings, maybe 10 outs, whatever, to be that efficient to go five shutout for us was really sharp, from jump. Had some swing-and-miss going. He was dealing. That was great to see. It’s indicative how it’s been going for him the last month-plus as he’s returned. It’s gone well and he continued to show that tonight, in a huge outing for us."

Fried was not intended to pitch for the Yankees on Wednesday. The plan was for the veteran to have at least one more rehab start before rejoining the club. However, Tuesday's rainout opened the door for Fried to return. Boone and the organization approached Fried with the opportunity and the southpaw accepted.

It was an easy decision for Fried.

"This is my favorite thing to do," Fried said. "Being out for the last couple of months, that was really tough. Coming out, giving us a chance to win, and getting back out there and feeling the energy, it felt normal and I'm happy about that."

Following Wednesday's start, Fried is now pitching to a 2.97 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP and his insertion back into the rotation was one the Yankees are happy it happened when it did.

With the southpaw back in the fold, the Yankees have a formidable trio in Fried, Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler. And for the Yankees and their fans, getting Fried and Cole pitching at the same time is 18 months in the making. Cole missed all of 2025 with elbow surgery, Fried's first year in pinstripes, and then when Cole was ready to return, Fried was on the shelf with an elbow injury of his own.

Cole pitched a dominant first game of Wednesday's doubleheader, and although it resulted in a loss, having Fried follow up with his Game 2 performance was something to behold.

"It's something that I've been looking forward to for a while now," Fried said of finally pitching with Cole. "Kind of sucks that I got hurt when I did to delay that, but better late than never."

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