In a matchup of All Star starting pitchers, Max Fried faltered in the hot sun of a Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, and Matthew Boyd didn’t — pitching a shutout through 8 innings — as the Cubs beat NY 5-2.
Aaron Judge got 3 hits including a 2-run HR in the 9th to break up the shutout. It was his 35th HR of the year, and the 350th of his career.
Fried left after 3 innings with a blister on his left index finger, down 4-0. He was not especially helped by his defense in a 3-run 3rd inning — with Oswald Peraza failing to snare a liner at 3rd and then botching a double-play grounder with a wide throw to 2nd, causing Jazz Chisholm Jr. to throw the ball away.
And so the Yankee streak of 5 straight wins — 4 of them Amazing, Amazing wins — is broken.
“It was the 2nd to last pitch to Berti (in the 3rd inning),” said Fried afterwards about when the blister began. “I was bad. I just wasn’t good. Not being able to execute pitches and get outs when I needed them. It was just unfortunate timing; I was grinding and it popped up at the end.”
On Judge’s 3-4 performance and his 35th HR producing most of the Yankee offense, manager Aaron Boone said “I just think he’s playing in a different league, really.” -Aaron Boone speaks on Aaron Judge and more.”
NY drops to 53-42, still 2 games behind Toronto, who lost, but only 2 in front of 3rd place Boston, winners of 9 in a row. Tampa lost and remains 3.5 back. Chicago improves to 56-39, in 1st in the NL Central by a game of Milwaukee.
1. Fried Fried in the Hot Sun
It was not super hot — but still about 90 degrees with blue skies and a hot sun beaming down at Yankee Stadium when Max Fried allowed a leadoff triple to 2nd baseman Nico Hoerner to start the game.
Kyle Tucker grounded out and just like that it was 1-0 Chicago.
Fried struggled in the 2nd — allowing a 1-out single and 2-out walk before getting a lineout to end the inning. But that was just a precursor to the 3rd, when he got banged around:
A leadoff single by Kyle Tucker, double by Seiya Suzuki, and RBI line-drive single by Carson Kelly off the glove of Oswald Peraza at 3rd made it 2-0. If Peraza makes the catch — it’s a different inning.
Fried got tough — getting Pete Crow-Armstrong to pop out to 1st on one pitch — then got Dansby Swanson to hit what should have been an inning-ending doubleplay grounder to 3rd — but Oswald Peraza‘s throw to Jazz Chisholm Jr. at 2nd was a wide of the bag to the outfield side, causing Chisholm to adjust his pivot — and throw the ball over Paul Goldschmidt‘s head at 1st. A run scored and Swanson moved to 2nd.
here are the runs you ordered! pic.twitter.com/D7Olgr8p3r
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 12, 2025
Swanson then scored on a single to center by Ian Happ — making it 4-0.
Fried walked a batter before getting Jon Berti for the final out of the inning. And then was removed from the game — the Yankees tweeting that he had developed a blister on a finger of his throwing hand.
Fried loses to fall to 11-3 2.43.
2. Boyd Fries Yankees
Meanwhile Matthew Boyd thrived in the blazing sun of the hot summer day. Boyd came in at 9-3 2.52 — making the All Star team for the 1st time in his career — which he has predominantly spent as a back-of-rotation starter with the Detroit Tigers.
Boyd mowed down the Yanks for 8 innings — except for Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr.and Anthony Volpe:
- Judge ‘just missed’ a HR off Boyd in the bottom of the 1st — hitting a drive caught at the right-centerfield wall by Crow-Armstrong.
pete truly covers all. pic.twitter.com/UywNe9CLWq
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 12, 2025
- Boyd pitched 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd and 3rd,
- Judge hit a 1-out double in the 4th but Boyd retired everyone else,
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached on an infield single in the 5th but was erased on a double play hit into by Trent Grisham,
- Boyd pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th,
- Judge hit 1-out ground-rule double in the 7th but Boyd got the last 2 outs, and
- Anthony Volpe got a 1-out single in the 8th, but Boyd retired the next 2 batters.
Boyd’s line: 8 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, 6 K’s, 0 walks. He goes to 10-3 2.34.
3. Hamilton & Effross Great
Ian Hamilton made the emergency relief appearance in the 4th — and retired 6 batters in a row — pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th and 5th.
Scott Effross followed with a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th.
4. Loaisiga Coughs Up Another HR
Jonathan Loaisiga threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, but coughed up another HR — to Carson Kelly leading off the 8th — and it was 5-0 Cubs.
Afterwards Loasiga said he feels great; he needs to execute his location better.
“Location — if I execute the slider I can get weak contact, maybe a ground ball,” said Loaisiga afterwards through the Yankee translator. “Definitely that’s one pitch that can be better.”
“Keep praying for health the rest of the season and I know that things will turn around and I will start getting the results I want,” he added.
5. Hill & Brubaker Great
Tim Hill relieved Loaisiga and got the last 3 outs of the 8th, and JT Brubaker worked around a 1-out single and walk to pitch a shutout 9th — helped by picking off Jon Berti trying to steal 3rd.
6. Judge 2-Run HR in 9th Breaks Shutout
Brad Keller came in to pitch the 9th — and was greeted by Cody Bellinger ripping a 1-out ground-rule double, and Aaron Judge hitting his 35th HR of the year — 388 feet to right center to make it a 5-2 game.
Another milestone for The Captain ? pic.twitter.com/VatNFfmueJ
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 12, 2025
Brad Keller hit Giancarlo Stanton with a pitch — and just like that the Yanks had the tying run in the on-deck circle.
Daniel Palencia was brought in — and he struck out Chisholm and got Trent Grisham to ground out for the old ballgame.
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