Don't let Max Fried's brilliance distract you from Devin Williams' Yankees comeback

If the 2025 New York Yankees end up playing the 2025 Tampa Bay Rays in a best-of-seven postseason series, Max Fried should start Games 1, 3, 5 and 6.

Fried's AL East dominance seemed like a novel, but ultimately irrelevant, storyline when he joined the Yankees. Sure, he had ridiculous numbers in a small sample size, but they'd eventually start to normalize after he faced AL East teams repeatedly in a summer-long grind. And sure. Maybe that'll eventually be true. But for now? Fried absolutely destroys the AL East, and he toys with the Rays more than most.

Two starts ago, Fried's 7 2/3 innings of two-hit ball against the Rays - temporarily invalidated by an official scorer - fueled the Yankees' second shutout of a four-game set in Tampa. On Friday, he somehow one-upped himself.

Yes, he allowed a clean single to left instead of a controversial boinked first hit. But that was ... it. The Yankees shut out the Rays for the third time this season, and Fried erased seven innings, undaunted, striking out six and building momentum as the game carried on.

Yankees dominate Rays behind Max Fried, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver

But would Paul Goldschmidt's three-run home run indeed be enough for the Yankees to hold onto a series-opening victory? That task was handed to much-maligned ex-closer Devin Williams. After two consecutive high-ish-leverage road performances in Baltimore, this was his chance to return to the scene of the fans' crime. The home of the "We Want Weaver!" chants. A hostile environment in front of his own rooters.

Would he be able to build on his recent momentum in the eighth? Would he miss with the first changeup, then spiral? With pressure mounting, Williams delivered what might've been his slickest inning of the entire season at an ideal time, retiring the Rays' 7-8-9 hitters on a dribbler (defended perfectly by Oswaldo Cabrera), a looper, and a swinging strikeout of Danny Jansen, the ultimate Yankee Killer.

Luke Weaver, complete with two-strike Darth Vader breaths, finished off the top of the Rays' order in the ninth 1-2-3. That's why they switched, after all. Weaver got the traditionally tougher assignment. Fried handled the bulk. And Williams, with 50,000 eyes upon him, had an emotionless job to do.

All three displayed the same, even-keeled level of dominance. Fried's 1.01 ERA stands out, above all else, and it should. It's insane. But Williams' blitz of an inning was extra memorable because of just how irrelevant it ultimately felt. That's crucial, as the Yankees continue to roll.