Max Fried's Andy Pettitte impression vs. Red Sox highlights Yankees' Buehler duel

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox typically like to hide secrets from one another during fake games that don't count in spring training, but plenty of cards were on the table Tuesday afternoon in Tampa.

Alex Cora called Aaron Boone "one of the best in the business". Austin Wells led off and Aaron Judge hit second for the Yankees, much the same way they might when the regular season begins. Red Sox top prospects Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony - a lefty - got tough tests against an All-Star starter, and weren't hidden by any means.

And, of course, both teams went with marquee offseason additions for the first - and somehow only! - spring training showdown between the two teams, as Boston rolled with Walker Buehler, while New York tabbed Max Fried.

Fried, already a key addition to the Yankees, has seen his import grow after Gerrit Cole's season-ending surgery. Once upon a time, he was nearly a Red Sox before Brian Cashman and Co. lost Juan Soto and dove all in. After losing Fried, Boston pivoted to one year of Buehler; he came at a high one-year cost, but without a long-term commitment beyond the $21.05 million qualifying offer-mimicking deal he signed.

On Tuesday, both hurlers came out firing; Buehler began with three perfect innings, while Fried let on an early base runner ... and then made him disappear, perhaps picking up a little secret from one of the Yankees' guest instructors, Andy Pettitte.

Yankees' Max Fried shows off Andy Pettitte pickoff move in dominant start vs. Red Sox

Got 'em.

Fried has been among the game's best left-handed starters for a half-decade, but one more lesson he could use from Pettitte is one on playoff consistency. While his Game 6 against the Astros in 2021 to clinch the World Series for the Braves looms large, he'll need to distill that energy moving forward and find a way to replicate it, given his lifetime 5.10 postseason ERA in 20 outings.

Still, if the Red Sox felt like an early challenge during Fried's buildup, the left-hander didn't show it. He breezed through the fourth inning and sent left-hander Triston Casas whistling back to the dugout on a hand-jamming 94 MPH fastball to end the frame.

The Yankees' stated goal was getting Fried up around 70 pitches, and he retired Carlos Narvaez to start the fifth on his 68th pitch of the game. Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre took the ball - adding to the Pettitte vibes - and Fried left with an unblemished record.

Can't say the same for Buehler, though; Judge destroyed a double off him in the fourth, and Cody Bellinger and Anthony Volpe run-scoring hits got the Yankees the tiniest degree of World Series revenge to tie a bow on the ace-run portion of this game.