For a long time, the knock on Clayton Kershaw was that he couldn't get it done in October. One of the couple greatest lefties to ever step on the mound wasn't his usual self in the postseason.
The bad news in how this relates to the New York Yankees: He's got nothing on Max Fried.
Kershaw has the fourth-worst postseason ERA among any pitcher who has thrown at least 75 playoff innings.
The pitcher with the worst? Fried.
Highest postseason ERA
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) October 6, 2025
Min. 75 IP
Max Fried: 5.31
Al Leiter: 4.63
David Price: 4.62
Clayton Kershaw: 4.49https://t.co/YEgd1yz6Tv
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Curiously, all four pitchers listed there are left-handers, but that's beside the point right now.
A 5.31 Fried playoff ERA is astounding when considering that his career regular season ERA is 3.04.
The latest nightmare came Sunday when Fried was knocked around by the Toronto Blue Jays as the Yankees fell behind 2-0 in the best-of-five ALDS.
Fried isn't even looking likely to get another start this season to try and rectify the problem.
And what even is the problem? It was always hard to figure for Kershaw. It usually felt like it came down to leaving a pitch just a little too hittable in a high-leverage spot and being punished.
Baseball is a weird game. It rewards consistency and steadiness over a 162-game season, and then it shifts drastically to small sample sizes in the playoffs.
It could be a fluke for Fried. It could be a real problem.
But either way, the results are what matter, and Fried hasn't gotten it done.
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