Max Fried in a post-game interview (WANE-TV, Fort Wayne)
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By Scott Barancik, editor
Talk about pressure.
Max Fried was a mere 18 years old when the San Diego Padres offered him a cool $3-million signing bonus in 2012. Hype followed the No. 7 draft pick everywhere. Even now, with only one full year of Minor League ball under his belt, he’s ranked the Padres’ No. 2 prospect by Baseball America and MLB.com.
On Thursday (5/9/2013), the lanky southpaw delivered on that investment, pitching the first 5-and-2/3 innings of what would become just the second no-hitter in the 20-year history of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Padres’ Single-A club. “I couldn’t be happier,” he said in a television interview (see below), and then heaped praise on the three relievers who shared the victory.
Fried struck out eight batters and walked four in the 1-0 victory over the Great Lakes Loons. He didn’t even rely on the curveball he famously picked up from years of watching rare Sandy Koufax footage. “I was really confident and able to throw my changeup in any count, I really relied on that,” he told MLB.com. “There were times that I didn’t have body command with my fastball and curveball.”
Caps Tally First Nine Inning No-Hitter
Five starts into the 2013 season, Fried — who did not get the win Thursday — is 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 24-and-2/3 innings. Opposing batters are hitting .200 against the 6 foot 4 inch hurler and have yet to hit a home run off him this year.
There to share in Thursday’s celebration was roommate and teammate Maxx Tissenbaum, who watched Fried’s dominating performance from one of the best seats in the house: second base.
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