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NextImg:Max Fried, offense dominate Royals to end Yankees’ two-game skid

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Max Fried’s terrific start to the season does not need any qualifiers.

The Yankees left-hander has been a smashing success in just about every way two-plus months into an eight-year, $218 million contract.

But when the Yankees have needed him the most — coming off a loss — he has found a way to be even better.

That trend continued on Tuesday, with the Yankees coming off back-to-back losses to the Red Sox and a series in which their starting pitchers got roughed up.

Fried’s answer? Seven innings of two-run ball on the way to a 10-2 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

In eight starts after a Yankees loss this season, Fried is 7-0 with a 0.83 ERA.

Fried’s batterymate Austin Wells supported the cause with a five-RBI game while Aaron Judge crushed a 469-foot, two-run blast to start the night off.

The Yankees (40-25) blew the game open with a five-run sixth inning, keyed by Wells’ two-run double, as they cruised in their first game back here since clinching the ALDS last October.

Max Fried, who allowed two runs over seven innings, picked up his ninth win of the season in the Yankees’ 10-2 blowout win over the Royals on June 10, 2025. Getty Images

The only concern was Jazz Chisholm Jr. leaving the game in the seventh with neck tightness, one inning after his head collided with third baseman Maikel Garcia’s knee on a steal.

The Yankees scored 23 runs in three games against the Red Sox over the weekend, but dropped two of three because their starters did not do their jobs.

The offensive attack continued on Tuesday, and this time Fried made it a breezy night against the Royals (34-33), whose lineup does not offer the same kind of threat as the Red Sox.

Austin Wells, who had a five-RBI night, belts a three-run homer in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Royals. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

The only real damage off Fried was Jonathan India’s leadoff home run in the sixth inning, which pulled the Royals within 10-2.

They had also scored a run in the second inning — at the time cutting the Yankees lead in half, 2-1 — on a squibber to third base, a bloop to shallow left-center field, a double play ball that could not be turned and a groundout.

Otherwise, Fried largely dominated, at one point retiring 11 straight and later ending his night with an eight-pitch seventh inning.

Aaron Judge belts a two-run homer in the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Royals. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

While continuing to field his position well, he scattered six hits and walked none with four strikeouts, finishing his 14th start of the season with a 1.84 ERA.

Royals lefty Noah Cameron entered the night having allowed just three earned runs across his first five major league starts (spanning 31 2/3 innings).

But Judge greeted him in Judge fashion, clobbering the seventh-longest home run of his career (469 feet) for his 24th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the top of the first.

It was a 2-1 game with two outs in the fourth when Wells worked a nine-pitch at-bat — fouling off three two-strike pitches — that ended in a three-run homer to right for the 5-1 lead.

Wells then one-upped himself in the sixth inning and battled reliever Taylor Clarke for a 10-pitch at-bat that resulted in a two-run double for the 7-1 lead.

That marked the first of five straight hits against Clarke, including RBI singles from Trent Grisham, Judge and Cody Bellinger — the 1,000th hit of his career, which made it a 10-1 game.

Cody Bellinger hits an RBI single in the sixth inning for his 1,000th career hit in the Yankees’ win over the Royals. Getty Images

The five-run outburst marked the 16th time this season the Yankees scored five or more runs in an inning, surpassing their total from all of last season.

The Yankees also got encouraging nights from DJ LeMahieu and Jasson Domínguez.

LeMahieu went 2-for-3 with a double and two walks while adding a strong sliding catch ranging into right field.

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Domínguez’s three hits all came from his weaker right side against lefties, two of them well-placed bloops to right field.