Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) hits a double against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at Fenway Park on June 15, 2025.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Max Fried has seamlessly filled in as the Yankees ace since signing over the offseason. The starter’s ability to halt team losing streaks has been arguably his most impressive ability — Fried entered Sunday with a 0.83 ERA in starts after a New York loss, with the team 7-0 in those games.

The lefty pitched well again on Sunday with just two runs allowed across seven innings. But it wasn’t enough for the Yankees to avoid being swept for the first time this season.

New York was held to three runs or fewer for a fourth straight game for the first time since early 2024. The Yankees fell to the Red Sox, 2-0, at Fenway Park and dropped to 1-5 against their rival this season.

Fried ran into frequent trouble in his first start with New York against Boston. Trevor Story, who entered hitting .429 against Fried, singled on a pitch well inside to drive in Romy González with two outs in the first inning. Rafael Devers hit into multiple double plays but snuck a home run over the Green Monster in the fifth inning to extend the edge.

Still, Fried kept the game within reach, finishing with nine strikeouts. But the Yankees left six runners on base, including in the eighth inning when the first two hitters reached base.

DJ LeMahieu struck out looking on a sinker at the bottom of the zone for the first out. Then, Aaron Judge lightly hit a slider into a double play, ending New York’s last chance with runners on base. The two-time AL MVP finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

All of Judge’s strikeouts came against Red Sox starter Brayan Bello, who attacked a variety of spots and finished with eight punchouts.

Judge fanned on a cutter that finished well outside during the opening inning, which Trent Grisham led off with a double. Judge went down on strikes again in the third inning on a fastball on the outside and in the sixth on a sinker breaking towards him. The designated hitter finished with nine strikeouts in 12 at-bats during the series and looked lost against Bello.

The righty entered with an ERA of 2.54 and 36 strikeouts in eight career appearances against New York. Bello pitched his best game in the series yet, working through trouble multiple times on a season-high 114 pitches.

He entered with a 7.20 ERA in the third inning this season and allowed a pair of hits in that frame. But first baseman Ben Rice was picked off second with two outs — an eerily similar blunder to Jasson Domínguez’s the day prior amid a Yankees’ rally.

Bello struck out the side in the sixth inning and fanned catcher J.C. Escarra with a fastball on the outside corner to end the seventh. He primarily used his cutter as a put-away pitch early, but mixed in his sinker and fastball as the game progressed.

New York had its chance to finally break through in the eighth inning just after Bello exited, but instead, the Bombers’ woes with runners on base were exacerbated. The Yankees have scored five runs across their past four games and are just 8-11 against the AL East this season.

New York still boasts one of the best offenses statistically this season, but their recent struggles are certainly noteworthy, nearly midway through the season. They’ll be back at home in the Bronx Tuesday night to begin a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.