Tigers tab Boyd for Opening Day in Cincy

DETROIT -- Matthew Boyd was a Blue Jays prospect dealt to Detroit five years ago after the Tigers traded their Opening Day starter that year, David Price, to Toronto. One week shy of the anniversary of the trade, it’s Boyd’s turn to take the ball for Game 1.

For someone who went to a handful of Mariners openers growing up in Seattle, the history isn’t lost on him. Nor is the journey between.

“It's an honor. It truly is an honor,” Boyd said. “I remember the days going to watch Jamie Moyer and Freddy Garcia and Félix Hernández over the course of 10-plus years in Seattle, thinking how much fun that would be to do that someday; knowing that I would do it someday. To do it for a franchise like this one -- we love this team, we have a close-knit squad -- every game counts the same, but it's an honor to take the ball on the first day, and I'm excited for it.”

The decision was not a surprise; manager Ron Gardenhire acknowledged Wednesday that Boyd was lined up to pitch the opener. Boyd said he’d been told a few days into Summer Camp. He was lined up to pitch Opening Day in March as well, before the coronavirus pandemic forced a change in plans.

Boyd’s family had just booked flights to Cleveland for the original March 26 season opener when the season was suspended. They won’t be able to watch the July version in person.

“Now family will all be watching back home together in Seattle, within reason,” Boyd said. “I know they're not going to hold a big party. We've got to be careful. We have some high-risk people in our family.”

The 29-year-old Boyd gets the honor after a season during which he was the Tigers’ most effective starter for the full year. The southpaw finished sixth in the American League with 238 strikeouts and fourth with 11.56 strikeouts per nine innings, and he posted a 9-12 record with a 4.56 ERA in 32 starts. He had a 2.85 ERA through his first 12 starts, a notable stat heading into a 60-game season.

Just as important, Boyd emerged as a leader on the Tigers' pitching staff. He served as a player representative with the MLB Players Association, and he helped mentor the many young players who joined the team as the season went on. His work with his wife on his Kingdom Home foundation to rescue children from sex trafficking in Uganda became a cause for teammates.

Those roles continued into this year. Boyd helped Detroit’s highly touted pitching prospects through Spring Training, providing feedback and advice on workouts, and kept in touch regularly through text messages while baseball was shut down.

The common thread throughout has been Boyd’s work ethic. His offseason work at Driveline helped him refine his pitches and develop a nasty slider that has become the backbone of his arsenal. He has invested in a Rapsodo machine to help get instant feedback on his pitch movement and spin rate when working out at home. When baseball shut down, he and his family stayed in the Detroit area while he held throwing sessions in local parks with catcher Eric Haase.

The work has lifted Boyd from Pac-12 reliever -- he didn’t become a full-time starter until his final season at Oregon State -- to the top starter in Detroit.

“It's special,” Boyd said. “I don't mean this with any arrogance: I'm not surprised. When you see something and you see it so clearly, you know it's going to happen someday. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when. There's lots of things that I see, that I believe will happen in my heart. But it doesn't take the emotion out of it when you hear those words and that honor is bestowed upon you. I'm thankful. It's crazy to think that in 2012 I was pitching out of the 'pen at Oregon State. It's crazy to a lot of people, I'm sure, when you see the progression of it, but to me it's not surprising. I'm just thankful.”