A newly signed $218 million ace with victory right within his reach. What could go so wrong to take that moment away from him? All it’ll take is just one controversial call to turn everything upside down. What could’ve been marked as a historic moment for that ace this season quickly spiraled into an uproar of divided opinions and pure disbelief. It all transpired at George M. Steinbrenner Field during the intense matchup between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Turns out, all odds were stacked against the Yankees $218 million star Max Fried against the Rays. Fox Sports: MLB brought it to X and revealed how one scoring change can absolutely blow the minds of all those present and especially the one who is behind the mic, Michael Kay.

It all unfolded in the seventh inning when Max Fried was charging towards a potential no-hitter. He seemingly finished off seven no-hit innings right before Chandler Simpson grounded the ball to Paul Goldschmidt, the first baseman. That’s when the official scorer, Bill Mathews, declared a controversial scoring change to give the Tampa Bay Rays their first hit of the day.

An error call on a grounder by the Rays’ Chandler Simpson was apparently switched to a hit by Mathews. At that very moment, Yankees’ Fried lost the no-hitter bid. More than that, he lost the chance at MLB’s first no-hitter in the 2025 season. All fans and broadcasters alike were simply baffled. At that very moment, the announcer, Michael Kay, couldn’t hold back as he said, “I’m absolutely flabbergasted.” He reflected the pure disbelief he felt during that moment.

For the Rays, this scoring chance served as the first official knock of the game. The whole point became inconsequential in no time. During the bottom of the eighth inning, Jake Mangum opened with a clean line-drive single to center. Meanwhile, for Fried, it all concluded with two batters. He finished off with 7⅔ innings with two hits and two walks.

However, the Yankees still managed to emerge with a 4-0 win against the Rays. But this controversial call definitely overshadowed the otherwise impressive outing and spoiled Max Fried’s no-hit bid.

Yankees’ Max Fried was caught off guard by the controversial call that spoiled his no-hit bid

The Yankees’ $218 million star was unfortunately just six outs away from his no-hit bid. Postgame, Max Fried revealed how the sudden switch of the call stunned him. As he puts it, “I had no idea; I looked up and saw two hits. It is what it is.” He was so close to creating a historic moment for the Yankees this season, and well, his no-hitter dream was just gone.

Similarly, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was also questioned about his stance on the situation. He stated, “Look, we’re not going to beat [Simpson] to the bag.” He continued, “So, I get it, but it makes it a little dicey when it’s within the game or obviously with a no-hitter going on. But the reality is, it was a hit.” Boone simply acknowledged what really happened on the field.

A no-hitter is a far-fetched achievement for most players. And Fried was just on the verge of having his moment. It was saddening for a while, and this scoring change was capable of frustrating the entire Yankeeland.

Despite all the chaos, Fried was glad that the Yankees managed to walk away with a 4-0 win. He stated, “I’m just happy we got the win.” At the end of the day, isn’t that the whole point? Yeah, sure, the highlight of the game would definitely be Mathew’s call, but the fact that Fried handled it with composure speaks a lot about him.