Mariners' Bryan Woo has golden opportunity to boost profile vs. Max Fried, Yankees

Every now and then, a Stephen Strasburg- or Paul Skenes-type of pitcher comes along in Major League Baseball. They have "can't miss" written all over them, and are treated as stars from the moment they begin their pro careers.

Bryan Woo is not one of these pitchers. He was only a sixth-round draft pick back in 2021, and not once was he rated as a top-100 prospect by any of the major publications. He's had to earn his star power, and he's indeed done so because — like some kind of pitching Hercules — he just keeps conquering challenge after challenge.

Now comes a new one: A matchup against both the hottest pitcher and the hottest offense in MLB.

Bryan Woo will put MLB on notice if he can out-pitch Max Fried and silence the Yankees' mighty offense

The 25-year-old Woo will make his eighth start of the 2025 season on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park, and it's not what you'd call a picnic. He'll be opposed by Max Fried and staring down a New York Yankees offense that is fresh off yet another overwhelming attack.

Though things ended a heartbreaking note, the Yankees made it look easy in an 11-5 win over the Mariners on Monday. It was the fourth time just in their last six games that they had scored double-digit runs, and they did it with only minimal help (i.e., 0 HR, 1 RBI) from the incomparable Aaron Judge. Overall, they're the only team in the league averaging six runs per game.

The Yankees are the best fastball-hitting team in the majors, with a plus-63 run value against fastballs that is more than twice as high as the next-best figure. Woo, of course, is a fastball-first pitcher who depends on his four-seamer and sinker for nearly 70 percent of his pitches.

For his part, the lefty-throwing Fried is making even his eight-year, $218 million contract look like a bargain in his debut season as a Yankee. He leads the league with a 1.05 ERA, and the Yankees have won all eight of his starts.

As if we weren't already laying on the ominous vibes strongly enough, there is that other matter of the Mariners offense having switched from hot to cold. Since a 13-run outburst against the Texas Rangers on May 2, the Mariners have scored only 3.6 runs per game and have racked up double-digit strikeouts in four of their last six games.

In Hercules terms, Woo's next task is basically akin to taking on the Nemean Lion and the Lernaean Hydra at the same time, with one arm tied behind his back for good measure.

It would be like Woo, however, if he came through anyway. Consistent dominance has been a hallmark of his rise over the last two seasons, and it was around this time last year that he aced a test against these same Yankees. He faced them on May 21, 2024 and allowed only two hits over six scoreless innings, notably getting three of his seven strikeouts against Judge and Juan Soto.

Woo will look to capture that same energy on Tuesday, even if it means having to mix things up with a few more sliders and sweepers. Both pitches should have his confidence, as they have combined to hold opposing hitters to four hits in 30 at-bats.

If Woo does come through, it'll be reminiscent of the time that Félix Hernández put himself on the map in Boston in 2007. He was up against a supposed pitching sensation in Daisuke Matsuzaka and a lineup that proved itself to be of World Series-caliber, yet he barely flinched as he twirled a one-hit shutout.

Woo doesn't necessarily have to be that good on Tuesday. But if he's going to overcome Fried and the Yankees, something special will need to be in store.