St. Petersburg, Fla. — He knew exactly the date and place of his last big-league start.
“At Cincinnati, Sept. 4, 2021,” Tigers’ lefty Matthew Boyd said. “I can’t forget it.”
Boyd knew something was wrong when he walked off the mound that day after allowing five runs and seven hits in four innings. It was his second start back after he’d spent a couple months on the injured list. He wouldn’t pitch again for another 12 months.
“I didn’t know it in the moment but in hindsight, something wasn’t right,” he said. “Even in the rehab process — I got better but something was still there.”
So much has changed and yet so much is still the same. Boyd will be wearing the Old English D on his chest Monday, making his first start in 18 months in Houston against the defending World Series champions.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Boyd said, smiling. “You want to pitch against the best when you get the chance to. They are the champions and it’s a welcomed challenge. I’m really excited to face them.”
In between his last start and this upcoming one, Boyd fought back from flexor tendon surgery, got released by the Tigers, signed by the Giants and then traded to his hometown Mariners where he pitched 13 innings in relief and helped them get to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years.
His career came back full circle this winter when Tigers president Scott Harris, who signed him in San Francisco, brought him back to Detroit on a one-year, $10 million deal.
“It’s just been exciting,” he said. “Just to get to this game. You go through the whole rehab process and in my mind, like, I wouldn’t trade last year for anything, but I wanted to get back to the point where I’m starting. I knew it wasn’t going to happen last year. But, man, I was excited thinking about the day I’d get the chance to start again.”
Boyd made 143 starts in a Tigers’ uniform from 2015 through that fateful day in Cincinnati. It’s who he knows he is as a pitcher, a starter, and he was bent on proving it to whatever team signed him.
“I just had to be patient and wait for the shot,” he said. “It’s different, starting vs. relieving, and I really enjoy starting. And I know my best is ahead of me as a starter. It was just waiting and anticipating and making the most out of each moment that passed.”
Boyd, 32 years old now, is not the same pitcher he was before the injury. Talk about making the most of his time in rehab and with the Mariners: He’s found ways to make his best pitch, the slider, better. He’s revamped his changeup to the point where it’s like a new weapon for him. He’s learned things about his body’s biomechanics that have helped him streamline his delivery, making it easier to repeat his motion and giving some added zip to his 93-mph four-seam fastball.
He’s also earned a master’s degree in game-planning and pitch-sequencing.
“I just have an overall better understanding of who I am as a pitcher and what I can do to be successful and put my team in position to win games,” said Boyd, who struck out 21 hitters with three walks in 13 innings in four Grapefruit League starts last month.
Having the opportunity to start the second chapter of his career with the Tigers, even after the club cut him loose before the 2022 season, means the world to him.
“This is where I spent the majority of my career,” Boyd said. “Detroit is home and it’s something I don’t take lightly. The opportunity we have in front of us is really special.”
Boyd often references the 2016 season. It’s on his mind a lot. He remembers how close the Tigers came to making the playoffs that year. He remembers thinking that was going to happen year after year. The subsequent five years of losing was a time of enlightenment for him.
“You come to realize nothing is given in this game,” he said. “Everything has to be earned. You have to take it. That’s what we see in front of us. We need to go take something and we believe that we can. We have the tools in place to do it.
“It means a lot to wear this uniform and it means a lot to go do what we know we can in this uniform. That’s what’s special. Winning in Detroit is special. And it’s something I want to do very, very badly.”
Around the horn
It got lost in the rubble of a 12-2 loss Saturday, but lefty Tyler Alexander did something very few Tigers’ relievers have done. He became the ninth Tigers’ reliever since 1901 to have seven or more strikeouts without issuing a walk. He punched out seven in 3.1 innings, including six of the last seven hitters he faced. Drew Smyly was the last to do it back in 2013.
… Since he debuted on July 3, 2019, Alexander has walked fewer hitters (69) than any active pitcher in the American League (minimum 300 innings). His 5.4% walk rate ranks sixth among active American League pitchers.
… Right-hander Rony Garcia, who was optioned to Triple-A last month, is on the temporary inactive list. He’s essentially on a conditioning assignment.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky
On deck: Houston Astros
▶ Series: Three games at Minute Maid Park, Houston
▶ First pitch: Monday-Tuesday — 8:10 p.m.; Wednesday — 2:10 p.m.
▶ TV/radio: Monday-Wednesday — Bally Sports Detroit, 97.1 FM
▶ Probables: Monday — LHP Matthew Boyd vs. RHP Hunter Brown; Tuesday — RHP Matt Manning vs. LHP Framber Valdez (0-0, 0.00); Wednesday — LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1, 5.06) vs. RHP Cristian Javier (0-0, 5.40).
▶ Boyd, Tigers: It will be his first start in the big leagues since Sept. 4, 2021, at Cincinnati. He missed most of last season recovering from flexor tendon surgery and pitched just 13 innings of relief with the Mariners. He returns with a crisper slider and a completely revamped changeup, which he will mix with his 93-mph fastball and curveball.
▶ Brown, Astros: The pride of Wayne State University beat the Tigers at Comerica Park last Sept. 13, allowing two runs with six strikeouts in six innings. It was his second and last big-league start until now, though he did pitch out of the bullpen in the Astros world championship run last fall. He’s going to bring his 97 mph heater and wipeout breaking ball (which got a 30% whiff rate last season).