On Tuesday, Fried said he “definitely considered” the Red Sox after meeting with them via Zoom, but chalked up his decision to sign with the Yankees to a “gut feeling that I felt like this was the right place for me.” Of course, the money didn’t hurt either.

The warm applause that cascaded from the seating area toward the playing field in the fourth inning on Tuesday seemed mostly intended for Joe Torre, the Hall of Fame manager turning back the clock as he trudged in uniform to claim the baseball from Max Fried.