Guardians’ Matthew Boyd began his comeback in his garage Christmas morning – Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It was Christmas in the foothills of Washington state, not far from Seattle.

Matthew Boyd and his family opened their gifts and savored their holiday time together. Then Boyd headed to his garage.

“It had been more than five months since I’d even touched a baseball,” said Boyd, now set to pitch for the Guardians in the playoffs.

The 33-year-old Boyd had Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery on June 28, 2023. The plan was to build up his arm through various exercises before throwing.

Stories by Terry Pluto

• The inside story of the Guardians’ amazing trade for Emmanuel Clase – Terry Pluto
• No surprise that Terry Francona is managing again. Baseball is his oxygen – Terry Pluto
• Did the Browns need a new offense? Guardians’ best matchup; Cavs load up: Terry’s Talkin’ podcast

Boyd targeted Christmas, a personal present for all his post-surgery work.

“My first throws were supposed to be 45 feet,” he said.

A left-handed pitcher with 10 years and 880 MLB innings, Boyd was about to find out if there was more baseball in his future.

The temperature that morning was in the low 40s. His garage was heated. So he stood there. He walked off 45 feet, and set up a net in his driveway. Then, he began to throw. And throw. Not hard, but he was throwing. A game of catch with the net on a chilly Christmas morning. Boyd recalled there being snow on the ground.

“My wife came out and took a video,” he said. “She said we want to keep this and remember it when I’m pitching in the playoffs and World Series.”

Boyd smiled, remembering Ashley Boyd’s words.

“At that point, I wasn’t with any team,” he said. “I knew I could come back, but I never expected this.”

The long road

This is pitching his first MLB game in 422 days when he beat the Cubs, 2-1, on Aug. 13. This is being one of Cleveland’s best pitchers during the last six weeks of the season. This is being a starter in the upcoming playoffs.

As we talked in the clubhouse, Boyd used the word “amazing” about a dozen times. What happened to him was amazing. The Guardians are amazing. The coaches are amazing. The guys are amazing.

It’s all … amazing.

“I didn’t have a team at the start of spring training,” he said. “I didn’t have a team on opening day. I didn’t have a team on June 1.”

He knew he would pitch again … somewhere … at some point.

Boyd had pitched eight years with Detroit, compiling a 42-65 record and a 4.93 ERA. When healthy, he was a guy who could pitch respectably and chew up innings.

Arm problems began in 2020. In September 2021, he had flexor tendon surgery on his left arm. He came back near the end of the 2022 season and had a 1.35 ERA in 13⅓ innings.

In 2023, he had a 5-5 record and a 5.45 ERA. He knew something was still wrong with his arm. That led to Tommy John surgery.

Taking a gamble

While Boyd was rehabbing his arm, some teams called.

“They all offered minor league contracts,” he said. “Teams were a little worried because it was my second arm surgery.”

He decided to pass up the minor league deals.

“This is going to be a risk, but let’s wait until we can show teams what you can do when you’re fully healthy,” agent Scott Boras told Boyd.

So they waited, and Boyd continued to build up his arm. Cleveland and other teams were aware of him. Virtually every MLB team was looking for starting pitchers.

Boyd’s representatives set up a showcase. He’d throw a 55-pitch bullpen session at UCLA on June 7.

“There were 18 teams (present),” said Boyd. “I was a little nervous, but I felt good about my arm and the progress that we’d made. I threw my 55 pitches, then waited to see what happened.”

Who was the catcher?

“It was a nice kid from UCLA,” he said. “I can’t remember his name.”

Cleveland comes calling

The Guardians had one of their scouts at the showcase. But they had been monitoring Boyd before that. His representatives had video and other metrics available from various bullpen sessions.

“Now, we don’t have to just rely on our eyes,” said Guardians president Chris Antonetti. “We have a lot of different data. Our decision to pursue Matt wasn’t based on one bullpen session.”

“Cleveland was the first team to call,” said Boyd. “I was so excited. I know Vogter (manager Stephen Vogt). Pitching against them (with Detroit) for so long, I was really familiar with them.”

Boyd attended Oregon State. He reached out to Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, another Oregon State product.

“The more people I talked to, the more I heard something special was happening in Cleveland,” he said. “It was a place I wanted to be.”

Why Cleveland wanted Boyd

The Guardians knew Boyd well from his time with the Tigers.

“He had the reputation as an incredible teammate,” said Antonetti. “What we had to do was find out when he’d be ready to pitch. Would it be this season, or next season?”

Cleveland checked his medical reports along with the data from the bullpen sessions. He signed a one-year deal with the Guardians on June 29. Cleveland knew he needed time to build up arm strength, and they set up a schedule for him to pitch in minor league games.

The Guardians didn’t rush the process. Boyd made five minor league starts, covering 21⅓ innings. He allowed only two runs.

One of the reasons Boyd wanted to come to Cleveland is its reputation for developing and rehabbing pitchers.

Who knew?

In eight starts with the Guardians, Boyd is 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA. He’s fanned 46 in 39⅔ innings, walking 13.

He’s a veteran pitcher who works the corners, changes speeds and uses four different pitches.

“That was a big thing,” he said. “Being able to throw all my pitches with confidence. I kept working on the different pitches in those (minor league) starts.”

The Guardians are overjoyed with Boyd.

“It’s a bit unreasonable to expect a pitcher coming off Tommy John to immediately pitch as well as Matt has,” said Antonetti. “But getting to know Matt personally, I’m not surprised by his success. He has an incredible work ethic that enables him to get the most out of his ability every day. He’s an incredible teammate who elevates the environment around him. He’s made a massive impact for us.”

Boyd also used the word “grateful” several times as we talked. Research reveals that 36% of current MLB pitchers have had Tommy John surgery. Not all come back as fast or as well as Boyd.

Now, it’s the playoffs.

And yes, he can go back and look at that video his wife took on Christmas morning – the one she said he’d want to see when he was pitching in the postseason.