New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried had a no-hitter going late into Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, and he lost it after a controversial scoring change.
Fried did not allow a hit through 6 1/3 innings at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.. The first hit for the Rays came when outfielder Chandler Simpson chopped a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt booted the ball and was initially charged with an error.
Fried still thought he had not allowed a hit for several more batters. By the time the left-hander took the mound in the eighth inning, scorekeepers had changed the Simpson ground ball from an error to a hit.
It was apparently determined that Simpson would have beaten the throw to first even if Goldschmidt had come up with the ground ball.
This play was changed from an error to a single.
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 20, 2025
Max Fried's no-hit bid is over pic.twitter.com/aAuYkS3uk9
Simpson was just promoted to the majors on Friday. He was already well known for his speed, however. Simpson stole 104 bases in 110 minor-league games last season, and had swiped another eight in just 17 games for Triple-A Durham this season. Fried probably would not have beaten him to the bag.
Still, fans couldn’t believe the scorekeepers let Fried and the Yankees go several more batters thinking they had a no-hitter intact. Jazz Chisholm Jr. even made an outstanding catch in the seventh that appeared to preserve the no-no.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. makes an unreal catch to preserve Max Fried’s no-hitter! pic.twitter.com/mFFoFPYgcG
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 20, 2025
Fried gave up a hit on the first batter of the eighth inning, but his no-hitter had been taken away at that point. He recorded two more outs before being pulled and got the win. Fried was at 102 pitches at the time, so it is possible Aaron Boone would not have let him finish the game even if Fried’s no-hitter was still going.
After signing an 8-year, $218 million deal with New York over the winter, Fried has been as good as advertised. He is now 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA in five starts.
If Fried is frustrated about the way he lost his no-hitter, he should just have a look at what happened to a college pitcher earlier this season.
