Two years ago, it would have been impossible to foresee Matthew Boyd taking the mound for any team in Game 1 of a playoff series. The Chicago Cubs are making that a reality on Tuesday.
After his incredible late-season resurgence last year, culminating in a 0.77 postseason ERA for the Cleveland Guardians, the Cubs signed Boyd to a two-year contract. But he still vastly exceeded expectations, making his first career All-Star team as an 11th-year big-leaguer.
On Monday, Boyd was announced by manager Craig Counsell as the team’s starter for Tuesday’s opener in the best-of-three wild-card series at Wrigley Field against the San Diego Padres, with the winner moving on to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series.
During his media availability. Boyd couldn’t hold in his emotions. Reflecting on the journey it took to get him to that point, he was moved to tears.
“You think about a career,” said Boyd, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, “this is cool, because — it’s cool for so many different reasons. It’s cool because you never know when the opportunity presents itself.”
“It’s something you dream of,” he continued, per Bastian. “To get to do it at Wrigley, to get to do it for the Cubs organization, it’s something I don’t take lightly and it’s an amazing honor. I’m extremely grateful.”
This was Boyd’s first season with at least 30 starts since 2019. He’s played for three other teams since then, and also has had three stints on the 60-day injured list. But he’s overcome it all to take on the Padres on Tuesday.
Boyd pitched just a third of an inning for the Seattle Mariners in the 2022 postseason, but last year was his big break on the national stage. He struck out 14 batters in 11 2/3 innings for the Guardians while allowing just one earned run.
In his age-34 season, Boyd posted a 3.21 ERA for the Cubs in 179 2/3 innings, striking out 154 batters and walking only 42. He may not look like the textbook Game 1 starter, but his stats really aren’t far off what most teams are getting from their No. 1 guys these days.
When he takes the hill at Wrigley Field at 2 p.m. CT, all he’ll be thinking about is the San Diego lineup and how to get them out. But it was incredible to see him reflect on the journey it took to get to that point on Monday.
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