A Jewish pitcher was tapped to start the MLB All-Star game. In a menschy move, he gave it up.
Max Fried is one of two Jewish stars who were selected for this year’s Summer Classic but won’t play because of injury
Max Fried is delivering on expectations. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
By Louis Keene July 14, 2025
Max Fried has been living up to his record-breaking contract in his first season in pinstripes. The New York Yankees’ lanky lefty leads the American League in wins and has the lowest earned-run-average of his career (save the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).
His performance made him a natural candidate to start Tuesday’s All-Star game — as did the fact that his manager, Aaron Boone, would be coaching the American League team. Moreover, the game will be held in Atlanta, where Fried spent his first eight MLB seasons.
But in a move befitting the best Jewish southpaw since Sandy Koufax, Fried is letting a worthy rival take the mound in his stead.
Fried, 30, called Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal — last year’s AL Cy Young award winner — to gauge his interest in starting, according to MLive’s Evan Woodberry. At the time, it looked like Fried might not be able to pitch because his final start before the summer classic didn’t allow enough rest. (He has since been sidelined with a blister on his pitching hand.)
Skubal first deferred because of Fried’s Atlanta connection. But Fried, Woodberry reported, was insistent, saying, “I think you deserve it. I was just wondering if you wanted to start it.”
The day after they spoke, Boone called Skubal to give him the part.
“It’s a very professional thing to do, and you got a ton of respect for guys that do stuff like that,” Skubal told the Detroit Free Press of Fried’s call.
Asked why he did it, Fried said he was simply responding to a practical need. (Classic menschy behavior to downplay your own menschiness, I’d say.)
“I thought it would be way more streamlined if I just reached out and talked to him and explained what was going on from my end, or what I understood,” Fried told The Bergen Record. Whatever you say, Max.
The other Jewish player selected for this year’s game, the Boston Red Sox’s Alex Bregman, will miss it due to injury. The 2025 All-Star game begins Tuesday at 8:10 p.m. ET.
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