-
Boyd is a distant relative of Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller and former first lady Dolly Madison. He has a poster in his bedroom of a picture of Feller pitching against Joe DiMaggio.
-
Boyd graduated from Eastside Catholic High School in Mercer Island, Washington, then accepted a baseball scholarship to Oregon State, majoring in communications.
-
Matt is a very giving young man. He has spent much time volunteering in the community while in high school and college, including serving as a leader at a Vacation Bible School. He spent time on a missionary trip to the Dominican Republic. Boyd was a camp leader for the Mercer Island Little League offseason workouts. He has also volunteered by building bikes for Forgotten Children's Fund.
-
In 2012, the Reds chose Matt in the 13th round of the draft, but he did not sign, returning to Oregon State for his senior year.
-
In 2012, Matt pitched for the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League.
-
Boyd says his favorite athlete is Ken Griffey, Jr.
-
Matt's favorite TV shows are MLB Tonight, Entourage and Family Guy and favorite movies are The Sandlot and Bull Durham. (2014)
- Boyd said he would be playing hockey if he wasn't a baseball player. He actually played almost 12 years of ice hockey before focusing on baseball. He was a defenseman for 10 and a left winger for two, and made the U.S. Development Program regional team.
But baseball was his first love. And in his sophomore year at Eastside Catholic High in Mercer Island, Wash., he abandoned the skates to concentrate on baseball.
Boyd, a lefthander, headed to Oregon State and helped the Beavers reach the 2013 College World Series. Then was drafted by the Blue Jays in the sixth round.
-
Boyd pitched a shutout at the College World Series, fanning 11 Indiana State Hooisers in a 1-0 win and was named to the John Olerud Watch List for the best two-way college players.
-
In 2015, Baseball America had Boyd as the 29th-best rated prospect in the Blue Jays organization.
-
During the offseason before 2015 spring training, Matt worked with a weighted ball program for the first time.
-
Matt has been in the Major Leagues for the better part of the last two seasons, but August 8, 2016 marked his first trip as a professional player to his favorite stadium.
Boyd was born in Bellevue, Wash., and grew up on Mercer Island, which is about a five-minute drive down Interstate 90 from the Safeco Field players' parking lot. He pitched at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, where he appeared in one game at Safeco. And he closed out a college game at Safeco as a sophomore for Oregon State, beating the University of Washington.
Boyd, who's looking for an offseason home in the area, said his experiences at the ballpark go back many years, even before he was a player. He said his father, Kurt, surprised then-8-year-old Matt with a ticket to the second game in the history of Safeco Field in 1999, and that he and his high school buddies used to take the bus from Mercer Island to downtown Seattle for Mariners games. They'd buy the only seats they could afford.
"Center field was the cheapest," Boyd said. "We'd sneak into the left-field bleachers, and by about the sixth inning we'd be down in the lower concourse. A lot of special memories here."
There might be more to come. Boyd isn't scheduled to pitch in the upcoming three-game series, but there's Mariners history everywhere he looks. The field still is emblazoned with the just-retired No. 24 of Boyd's favorite player ever, Ken Griffey Jr. And another of Boyd's childhood heroes, Edgar Martinez, is the Mariners' hitting coach.
Boyd said he's never met Martinez but that "it'd be a dream if I did. I'll see if I can get an autograph from him," he said. (Miller - MLB.com - 8/8/16)
-
Boyd and Michael Conforto both grew up in Washington and were roommates at Oregon State. They also work out together in the off-season.
-
Matthew is now a father, after he and his wife, Ashley, welcomed their first child, Meira Joy Boyd, on July 27, 2017. It was an off-day, which provided them a perfect opportunity to celebrate the newest member of their family. (Horrobin - mlb.com - 7/27/17)
-
May 18, 2018: Matthew had passed out 38 tickets to family members. He had what he estimated were "40 or 50 more friends" around his hometown ballpark. They were presumably in on their own dime. Then he took the mound and dazzled. Boyd had a career-high nine strikeouts in his first career start in his backyard.
Boyd, a native of Mercer Island across Lake Washington seven miles from Safeco Field, was smiling after having command issues with his fastball to begin the game. He fell behind 2-0 after Jean Segura's double and Mitch Haniger's RBI single in the third. Then Boyd relied more on his slider. He used that pitch at speeds of 79 to 84 mph for six of his nine strikeouts.
He had tied his career high of eight Ks by the fourth inning. "It was exciting," said Boyd, who pitched collegiately at Oregon State. "Everywhere I turned I saw someone I grew up with. It was just really nice to have all love. It was a special day." (Bell - mlb.com)
-
In May 2018, Matthew and James McCann began preparing for their Memorial Day start together a few days ahead of time. Their prep work had very little to do with the Angels on the lineup card they were expecting.
When Boyd knew he was on track to start the Memorial Day game, he wanted it to be about more than pitching at Comerica Park on a holiday afternoon. So he talked last week with Jordan Field, director of the Detroit Tigers Foundation, about how to honor those for whom the holiday is.
"This day's about honoring those who have served their country and lost their life defending this country," Boyd said after the 9-3 win, "defending our freedom so we can have liberties like playing baseball this day, worshipping our religions freely, and being in an awesome country. I just didn't want that to be lost by the wayside. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. The least we can do is honor them."
Field got in touch with TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, and received names of local servicemembers who lost their lives over the past year. "We got eight names of fallen soldiers from the area," McCann said.
Boyd and McCann took four names each, and wrote them on the special cleats they wore for the game. "I feel very blessed to be able to play a game for a living, and [for] the freedoms that we have here," McCann said. "The freedom to do that, and just being able to honor the fallen, the people that paid the ultimate sacrifice. One day doesn't seem like enough."
Boyd's family has a deep military background. His father, Kurt, went into the Navy as a teenager and served six years before attending the University of Washington. His grandfather, John, graduated from the Naval Academy. Matthew had eyes on playing baseball for Navy or West Point, but had to change his plans due to asthma.
"I'm the first male [in the family] not to serve in quite a long time," Boyd said. "I'm grateful for everything that everyone has done to serve and defend our country."
His baseball career continues to work out quite well. On Memorial Day 2018, he continued what is becoming a breakout season by shutting down a righty-heavy Angels offense, the kind of lineup — including righthanded sluggers Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and former Tiger Justin Upton — that would've taken its swings on him a year ago.
Though Boyd (3-4) had to work with a runner on base every inning, he held the Angels to a pair of singles and two runners in scoring position, overcoming three walks over five-plus scoreless frames. (Beck - mlb.com - 5/28/18)
CHARITY WORK IN UGANDA
-
Boyd and his wife Ashley have been trying to provide help on the other side of the world. They hope that by helping open a children's home in Uganda and starting a charitable foundation, they can help address a problem that has gone underpublicized on this side of the world.
"We have 35 girls in a home right now in Uganda ages 8-14 that have been rescued either from prostitution rings, a brothel, forced child marriages, unfortunate things," Boyd said. "Right now we're going through the 501(c) process of getting our application approved in the state of Michigan and Washington so we can start fundraising, getting the word out there for this."
Boyd and his wife have been looking for a way to use their position to make a difference off the field. Ashley earned her degree in political science from Oregon State, and has worked with a nonprofit called Remember Nhu, which aims to prevent child trafficking and sex slavery through grassroots work around the world. They have 85 prevention homes in 15 countries on four continents, but saw a need for a home in Uganda.
The Boyds, especially after becoming parents last year, felt this was a calling for them. They traveled to Thailand together a few years ago and met a child they've sponsored. "You get face to face and you realize: How can anyone hurt a child? How can anyone do anything so horrific to a child? It's unbearable to think about," Boyd said. "Being a father, I can't quantify it, knowing that there's people out there that need help."
The home they've set up provides a bed, food and education, Boyd said
"Hopefully we can provide for further education, college over there," Boyd said. "We never want to age out a child. That's our goal."
While Ashley went to Africa as part of her work with Remember Nhu, Matthew has never been to the continent. "We're feeling called to serve in this way right now, and it's pretty cool," he said. (J Beck - MLB.com - June 30, 2018)
-
Nov 21, 2018: Matthew and Ashley Boyd are in Uganda, checking out the home they've helped put together with their hearts. When the Tigers pitcher and his wife heard about a couple in Uganda who had rescued 36 girls ages 6-14 from forced marriages, prostitution rings and human trafficking and needed help, they felt it was their calling.
Ashley Boyd had worked for a nonprofit called Remember Nhu, which fights child trafficking and sex slavery around the world. Matthew Boyd had been hoping to use his security as a professional athlete to contribute to a worthy cause. Starting their own nonprofit to support a home for rescued children was a major undertaking, maybe bigger than their initial ambitions. But this, they felt, was their cause.
"Starting our own nonprofit was beyond my wildest dreams," Ashley Boyd said. "It wasn't something we were ever really looking to do. It kind of came to us."
After putting plans together half a world away, they now have a chance to see their work up close. The Boyds will spend just over a week in Uganda, where they'll check out the home and explore the possibility of opening others to help more children in need. It'll be Matthew's first trip to Africa; Ashley traveled there as part of her work with Remember Nhu. The goal is to not only provide the children with a safe place, food and clothing, but to provide education and training as they grow up to help them become influencers in their community and end the cycle of abuse.
"Our goal at Kingdom Home is to provide refuge for these girls, a safe place," Matthew Boyd said, "to provide them food, clothing, a bed, an education. It's our goal to never age a child out. We want to give them vocational training, or pay for university, and hopefully prepare them for the world in whatever they want to do."
They've formed a partnership with the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities, and have received pledges of support from teammates James McCann, Nicholas Castellanos and Shane Greene. They've also donated $100,000 of their own money.
People interested in helping can do so at kingdomhome.org. (J Beck - MLB.com - Nov 21, 2018)
-
Dec 21, 2018: A year ago, the Boyds experienced Christmas as parents for the first time. A few weeks ago, they felt like they became parents of three dozen other children. "Our family's big," Matthew Boyd said, "and it's across the globe now." That's what it has meant for them to not only create Kingdom Home, which serves as a home in Uganda for 36 girls rescued from child trafficking and other life-threatening situations, but to see their work first-hand.
They took on the challenge of creating a nonprofit organization during the season after hearing of a couple who had rescued the girls and taken them into their home, but who needed help after the husband passed away. The Boyds put $100,000 of their own money into the project and teamed up with the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities. They also received pledges from Nicholas Castellanos, Shane Greene, Drew VerHagen and then-Tiger James McCann. With a foundation in place, making a visit was the next step. It took three flights and a seven-hour drive on narrow clay roads across the Kenyan border, but the arduous journey felt like nothing once they arrived.
"It was really, really cool," Boyd said. "It was so special to be there, be present, actually be in front of the girls. Not that it wasn't real before, but it really puts it to a whole new level, just interacting with them and with Dorothy, the housemother, having them braid Ashley's hair over and over." Though Christmas was still weeks away, the Boyds brought gifts. Between donations from Adidas and a nonprofit called Soles4Souls, they had enough new shoes for each child and then some, along with new clothes. "Some of these kids hadn't had new shoes for a long time, and now they had two pairs," he said. "Just seeing their joy for just little things that you take for granted, it was so cool." They put the shoes to use quickly, kicking around a soccer ball and journeying around the village to get an idea of the surroundings they were in.
-
"You hear how it's a developing country, and you think you know what a developing country means. But until you actually experience it, it doesn't really take hold," Boyd said. "So playing with a soccer ball, we actually broke the tap, and it was the only tap in the house. So we had to go down to the well, and it was the only place for water. "One thing that just stood out was the village that we were in. The village, it's out there and away from one of the bigger towns. The yard is walled off, but the kids in the village saw how much fun our girls were having and they came to the wall and watched. And you want to help them, but they have families and food for them."
Boyd had started his offseason throwing program before they left home, so he had to keep working out. Finding a catching partner in a region where baseball isn't a common sport was another challenge.
"I got to play catch with two of our guides. I taught them baseball; they were pretty athletic," he said. "I brought an extra glove; we tossed it around a little bit. It was a lot of fun."
More than anything, though, the Boyds were amazed by the determination of the girls to forge their own futures. Part of the goal of Kingdom Home is to help at-risk children become productive members of a community through education and vocational training. "They're so respectful, and they study so hard," he said. "They have a vision of the future, and they want to do amazing things. I knew that they were like that, but they were so far and beyond."
The home, yard and all, is rented. Part of the purpose of the trip was for Matthew and Ashley to check out land, either for an additional home or to replace the one they have. They found a site, he said, where they could potentially build four homes to help more children. They're now working on fundraising events to help them get there — one possibly in Spring Training in the Tampa area, another during the season in metro Detroit. Boyd said Big League Impact, a foundation created by Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, is helping them put it together.
Heading back home was emotional, Boyd said, but they're already hoping to schedule a return trip next offseason, ideally bringing along some donors to see the work themselves. In the meantime, as they return to the comforts of home and family, the experience reshaped their vision of the holiday season.
"You really appreciate what you have," Boyd said. "We have clean water, and we have a roof over our heads, and we know where our next meal is coming from. I'm grateful for family. I'm grateful for friends and neighbors. That being said, I'm grateful we have this opportunity to change lives.
"We had a Christmas event there. We sang Christmas carols there. It's so good knowing our girls are going to be able to sleep in their own beds, and they're going to have three meals and have an education. And they know they're loved; that's the biggest thing." (J Beck - MLB.com - Dec 21, 2018)
-
Feb 8, 2019: Boyd stepped onto one of the many mounds at the back fields of the Tigertown complex, threw his latest bullpen session, hit one of the training fields briefly, then retreated to the training room for his scheduled post-throw workout. By the time he was done, his morning was nearly over. While training, Boyd's movement is tracked, recorded, and stored on a bracelet he wears. The info is sent back across the country, where a performance coach analyzes the data, looking for trends and putting together a workout plan with Boyd for the upcoming week.
What began as a plan to optimize what Boyd eats has become a complete routine covering everything from nutrition to sleeping patterns, between-start workouts to recovery plans.
"It's to feel great all the way through, just to be the best I can for my team from Day 1 until the last day," Boyd said. "If I'm at my best, I can put my team in the best position. Last year, I realized there's more I can get better at." Last year was the first full season Boyd spent in the Tigers' rotation. He led the team with 31 starts and 170 1/3 innings, and finished with a 9-13 record, 4.39 ERA and a 4.45 FIP. He had a 4.08 ERA in mid-September before two rough outings inflated his numbers.
Though the rough finish raised the question of fatigue, Boyd says he felt fine. He lost focus, he said, while his grandmother was gravely ill in September, before passing away after the season ended. Still, Boyd was looking for ways to improve heading into 2019. He spent much of his previous offseason working on his pitches. This offseason, he focused on his health. Boyd has worked out every winter near home at Athletic Training Institute in Bellevue, Wash., alongside fellow Major Leaguers James Paxton and Michael Conforto. When the facility hired Devin McKee as a health performance coach, Boyd met him at season's end.
"I've eaten clean the last few years. I've read about how different foods affect your brain. I've done intermittent fasting, things like that," Boyd said. "I've invested in some machines that help recovery. At that point, I was like, 'OK, I really want to take this to the next level.'" Boyd underwent DNA tests to determine what foods his body reacts to better and what health conditions he might be predisposed to genetically. He had his heart rate and other vitals tracked to determine workout recovery and optimal sleeping patterns.
Some changes were obvious, others more individualized. With help from McKee, Boyd adjusted his diet to take in more monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados, nuts and grass-fed beef. He cut out whole grains and pasta and added more vegetables. He added more fish to his diet. He also tracked when and where he ate his meals. The resulting changes helped Boyd drop 15 pounds and improve his body-fat percentage.
"I wasn't planning on losing weight. I felt good where I was," Boyd said. "But once I started eating the way I did, it just kind of happened. I don't see it, but everyone says you can see it. That wasn't the goal, but it was kind of a byproduct. … "I feel better. I have more energy. I'm sleeping better."
Beyond that, McKee and Boyd used data to look at how he recovered from workouts, how soundly he slept, his energy levels and movements, his exposure to light and his circadian rhythm to optimize a schedule around his daily cycle, pitching days and travel during a season.
Boyd is far from the first routine-oriented pitcher the Tigers have had. His former teammate, Justin Verlander, was meticulous in formulating a routine and sticking to it, down to the minute, leading into a start. The data and feedback provide another step in the process.
"We monitor all that," Boyd said. "It's something that's really kinda cool and hands-on. We break it down every week. [McKee is] another guy that I'm going to have in my corner to help me recover and hopefully pitch 200-plus innings this year."
Boyd has a Spring Training routine he's following now. With data from the bracelet and his own observations, he and McKee put together a regular-season schedule. Still, as the father of a young child who wakes up during the night and early in the morning, there are some variables he'll never control.
"With a little kid, it's hard," Boyd said. "I don't want to make it sound like I'm the one always waking up. My wife is the one who does a lot of the work, because I probably sleep a little too heavy. Spring Training's easy because we're waking up early. In the season, I'm sure there'll be some trial and error. There'll be some adapting, because I'm daddy first and husband first." (J Beck - MLB.com - Feb 8, 2019)
-
Matthew was tied for the highest Wins Above Replacement among American League pitchers on May 17, 2019, according to FanGraphs. But that’s not a fair way to measure his overall value.
To the baseball world, Boyd is enjoying a breakout season thanks to a huge uptick in his strikeout rate. To the at-risk kids at Kingdom Home in Uganda, Boyd and his wife Ashley are helping change lives and break the chain of sex trafficking in the African country by providing girls with a safe place to live and learn.
Their work on the latter has greatly expanded this year, from helping 36 girls in one home to helping close to 90 children. They want to help more.
“We recently expanded and we’re able to take on more homes,” Matthew said. “So with that, our goals have expanded. The goals of this fundraiser are to raise $250,000 toward buying land and building on that piece of property to provide a safe, permanent place for these kids to grow up. We’re currently at $100,000, but that means we still have $150,000 to go.”
It’s an amazing expansion for a project that began just under a year ago with a rented house and three dozen kids at risk. The goal is not only to provide the children a safe haven, but also an avenue to education so that they can find a career.
“Kingdom Home is never going to age a child out,” Matthew Boyd said. “Right now, the oldest children in the home are 14 years old. As the years go on, whether they want to go to vocational training or university, Kingdom Home will just equip them to do whatever they want to do. The last thing we want to do is age a child out and put her at risk of going back into what was the whole goal of preventing in the first place.”
The Boyds saw the work first-hand when they visited Uganda in the 2018 offseason. But they also saw the scale of the issue, and the number of additional kids they could help.
“Getting to go and meet the girls in our first home was really impactful for us personally,” Ashley said. “But it also just spurred us on to want to help more children, because for every one in our home there’s countless others who are still at risk. That’s why we’re excited about upcoming events to help raise more funds so that we can be able to take in more children.”
The property they’re eyeing, she said, has enough area to build six homes, housing 30-50 people each. “We’ve already had an organization donate a well for the land,” Matthew said, “and another organization basically donate a whole farm, which is cool to make it sustainable. It’s really, really exciting for what’s to come.” (Beck - mlb.com - 5/17/19)
-
May 20, 2019: Matthew Boyd stood in front of the gathering at his charity fundraiser at Topgolf, his little daughter, Meira, in one arm, a microphone in the other. He thanked the multitudes who bought tickets for an evening of golf, food and fun, as well as the nearly 20 teammates who joined him on their first off-day in two weeks. He talked about Kingdom Home and the plans he and his wife, Ashley, have in mind to help combat sex trafficking in Africa.
All the while, he kept Meira in his arms as the little girl kept moving around, eventually handing her off to Ashley for a couple minutes. When the couple talked with reporters later, Meira was in his arms again, tugging at his Tigers jersey, poking at the pin-on microphone, chewing on her jacket. To his credit, Boyd didn’t miss a step, staying on topic the entire time. It was an apt symbol for his life these days.
A year ago at this time, Matthew and Ashley were putting together plans for this project. Instead of simply giving money to help a widow in Uganda who had rescued 36 girls with her late husband, the Boyds took it a step further and gave their time and effort, creating a nonprofit organization to support the children and provide a better life through shelter, food and access to education.
If somebody had told Matthew Boyd then that they’d have a nonprofit supporting 90 children and three homes with plans to buy land and build six homes—all while he and Ashley raise two kids of their own, and while he pitches some of the best baseball in the big leagues so far this season—he probably wouldn’t believe it. Not this quickly, anyway.
“I think he’s just trusting the process,” said longtime teammate and friend, Daniel Norris. “He’s going about his work and doing what he can and wanting to fulfill his calling.”
Ashley handles a lot of the work as executive director, Matthew said, and they’ve been blessed by God. His teammates say they’re special.
“I remember hearing Matty and Ashley talk about it when they started it,” Daniel Stumpf said. “Just watching it grow to now, it’s expanding I think quicker than they expected, which is awesome. Being able to help out, they go over and help support these kids. It’s amazing.”
Despite an unseasonably chilly evening, Monday’s effort packed the second floor of the Topgolf facility with supporters, teammates and current and former members of the Tigers organization. Some, like Blaine Hardy and Gordon Beckham, are good at golf. Others, like Norris and Josh Harrison, don’t normally hit the links or driving range, but they take their swings for good causes.
“If you give me a putt-putt, it might be a different story,” Harrison said. “But if I have to drive it, good luck.”
As Harrison took his hacks, he was clearly having fun. But he was also impressed by what Boyd has put together.
“A lot of people have a true desire and a heart to help and just don’t know how to go about doing it, especially starting early in their career,” Harrison said. “Kudos to Matt and Ashley for finding a way. They’ve gotten a good feel for the right people around them to help something that’s near and dear to them.”
Other Tigers who took part included Nicholas Castellanos, Shane Greene, Jordan Zimmermann, John Hicks, Grayson Greiner, Spencer Turnbull, Buck Farmer, JaCoby Jones, Niko Goodrum, Christin Stewart and Nick Ramirez.
-
March 31, 2020: Matthew and his wife, Ashley, already have plenty to worry about at home with their two children as they try to stay safe in Michigan during the coronavirus pandemic. But they also have dozens more kids they’re concerned about, half a world away. Two years after the Boyds started Kingdom Home in Uganda to fight sex trafficking, the effort has grown from rescuing 36 girls to more than 150 kids, who live in four homes. The nonprofit takes them out of dangerous circumstances and provides food, lodging and education. Now they face a new risk with the worldwide spread of coronavirus.
The first case in Uganda was reported last week. Like in many countries, the numbers are growing, and everything from schools to travel to food markets are reportedly restricted or shut down as part of the government response. Mercifully, the Boyds report, the virus has not hit the homes.
“We have been in constant communication with our house parents regarding the safety and well-being of the children, and we are happy to report that they are all healthy and doing well, despite the circumstances,” the Boyds posted on the Kingdom Home Instagram account.
“Now more than ever is the time to look out for each other. While we practice social distancing, we still have the ability to come together in a unique way—united as we share this common experience, and together trust that the Lord will carry us through this time and make us stronger because of it.
“Please join us in praying for continued protection and peace over the entire Kingdom Home family in Uganda.”
While the health and well-being of the children and house parents are good for now, the pandemic and the reaction are causing additional expenses. The land they bought last year includes a well for drinking water and enough space for a hydroponic farm, but they still rely on markets for their food. The restrictions and closures of some markets have left them searching for alternatives to bring necessities to the homes.
For more information or to help, visit kingdomhome.org. (J Beck - MLB.com - March 31, 2020)
-
The effort came together with the help of Big League Impact, an organization with a similar story. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright launched Big League Impact in 2013 with the idea of having a player across the Majors participate in an online fantasy football draft to raise money for their favorite charities. Today, the organization works with 30 Major League players to support campaigns ranging from clean water to food instability, single parenting, sustainability, farming, refugee relief and Boyd’s cause of fighting child sex trafficking.
“It’s very inspiring,” Norris said. “We’re utilizing our platform for good, and that’s what it’s all about.”
The Boyds have a goal of raising $250,000 to buy land and build three homes. They’ve raised $100,000 already. A recent fundraiser was expected to take a bite out of the remaining $150,000.
“It’s pretty special that so many people, including teammates, want to help out,” Matthew Boyd said. “It means a ton. It’s pretty cool that they have a heart for this mission. So many of them have given, and they’ve helped out in so many ways.”
Those who want to help can still make a donation or sponsor a child at kingdomhome.org.
Said Ashley: “People need to realize that it’s not just and him, a big leaguer, that can make a difference. Everyone can make a difference. Anyone can volunteer their time or resources and give and really change a child’s life, whether it’s here in Detroit or in Uganda or wherever. This is a global issue, but we can end it.” (J Beck - MLB.com - May 20, 2019)
-
July 23, 2019: While Boyd posted eight strikeouts over six innings for the second consecutive start, and his fifth in a row fanning eight or more, he allowed his lowest run total since back-to-back scoreless performances at the end of May. As contending teams weigh where to value Boyd among the potential targets on the trade market, his ability to limit damage won’t go overlooked.
For now, Boyd isn’t worrying about it, or much of anything beyond the birth of his second child, whom he and his wife Ashley are expecting later this summer.
“It’s worrying about something we have zero control over,” Boyd said. “We’re having a kid in a month. I think the biggest thing, if I was going to worry, would be my wife’s health and my future son’s safety. Baseball’s pretty minimal compared to that.”
-
Oct 17, 2019: Boyd has a history of struggles in his final start of a season. He also has a history of using that as a springboard to progress the next year. When he didn’t retire a batter in his final start of 2016 and didn’t pitch in the final week, he pushed himself to win a rotation spot out of Spring Training and beat out Aníbal Sánchez.
When the Twins homered twice to beat Boyd in the final weekend of the 2017 season, saddling him with five runs over as many innings to bump his ERA to 5.27, he worked to make his slider into a more effective pitch in hopes of putting a full season together.
After three homers over 3.2 innings in Minnesota closed out a rough September in 2018, Boyd changed everything from his diet to sleep routine to get in his best shape, while further honing his slider into a swing-and-miss pitch.
So it made sense that, even as he wrapped up his best season to date, he wasn’t satisfied after four innings against the White Sox.
“I said at the beginning of the year, it feels like last year was only the beginning,” Boyd said. “Just continue to grow and get better off that.”
He has plenty of growth to look back on, as a pitcher and as a leader. He also has plenty more he wants to do.
-
What went right?
The work Boyd put into his fitness and his pitching last offseason, 2018 paid big dividends. His four-seam fastball, which had dropped to an average velocity of 90.5 mph in 2018 according to Statcast, jumped to 92.1 mph this season while gaining 102 rpm on spin rate, making it a legitimate swing-and-miss pitch for him. He paired it with a sharp slider to create a devastating combination for hitters to handle.
Never was that combination more effective than the first two months of the season, when Boyd led AL pitchers in Wins Above Replacement and seemed headed for his first All-Star selection. He delivered quality starts in nine of his first 12 outings, striking out eight or more batters in six of them while picking up wins in five.
Boyd averaged 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings, fourth best among AL starters, while ranking sixth in the league with 238 strikeouts. His walk rate dropped to 2.43 per nine innings, eighth lowest among qualified AL starters. His 185 innings made him the only Tigers pitcher to cross the 150-inning mark in 2019.
While Boyd found his identify as a pitcher, he also found his voice in the clubhouse. When injuries to Tyson Ross, Matt Moore and Jordan Zimmermann left the Tigers' rotation without a veteran presence, Boyd became a voice of positive reinforcement.
“That's what you take out of this season: We've got a positive leader out there,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He's the guy that goes around and talks with everybody else.”
-
What went wrong?
Two words: Home runs.
“He'll tell you that he got too many balls up toward the middle part of the plate and they hit them out,” Gardenhire said, “so he gave up too many home runs.”
Boyd’s fastball-slider combination was good enough to comprise more than 85 percent of his pitch selection this past season, according to Statcast. Eventually, hitters caught up with that and sat on his fastball, which sent his home-run rate soaring.
Boyd gave up just seven runs over 72 2/3 innings in his first 12 starts through the end of May, 2019. He yielded 29 home runs over 92 1/3 innings over his 16 starts from June through August. Some of that could be attributed to home-run rates soaring across baseball, but there was more to it with Boyd.
“I had two months where my fastball command wasn't the same,” he said. “I wasn't walking people, but I wasn't commanding it like I know I can as I was in the months prior. The last few weeks we started to correct that, understanding how it is and where I need to be going forward.”
-
Best moment:
The Tigers’ hot start to the season became a distant memory by the end of their 114-loss season, but it included some of the best pitching of the year, including from Boyd. On a getaway day at Yankee Stadium, he racked up a career-high 13 strikeouts over 6.1 innings of one-run ball, pitching Detroit to a 2-1 win and a 4-3 record on the team’s season-opening road trip.
“Matty had all his stuff going—his fastball, his slider and everything,” Gardenhire told reporters at the time. “He kept them off-balance. You could see that. What a great arm. Great stuff.”
-
2019 Season: The work Boyd put into his fitness and his pitching last offseason paid big dividends. His four-seam fastball, which had dropped to an average velocity of 90.5 mph in 2018 according to Statcast, jumped to 92.1 mph this season while gaining 102 rpm on spin rate, making it a legitimate swing-and-miss pitch for him. He paired it with a sharp slider to create a devastating combination for hitters to handle.
Never was that combination more effective than the first two months of the season, when Boyd led AL pitchers in Wins Above Replacement and seemed headed for his first All-Star selection. He delivered quality starts in nine of his first 12 outings, striking out eight or more batters in six of them while picking up wins in five.
Boyd averaged 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings, fourth best among AL starters, while ranking sixth in the league with 238 strikeouts. His walk rate dropped to 2.4 per 9 innings, eighth lowest among qualified AL starters. His 185 innings made him the only Tigers pitcher to cross the 150-inning mark in 2019.
While Boyd found his identify as a pitcher, he also found his voice in the clubhouse. When injuries to Tyson Ross, Matt Moore and Jordan Zimmermann left the Tigers' rotation without a veteran presence, Boyd became a voice of positive reinforcement.
“That's what you take out of this season: We've got a positive leader out there,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He's the guy that goes around and talks with everybody else.” (Jason Beck - MLB.com - Oct, 17, 2019)
-
Nov. 7, 2019: In a season with precious few bright spots at Comerica Park, Boyd was one of the brightest. Thus, the left-hander earned the Tiger of the Year nod from members of the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Boyd received 15 of 22 first-place votes. Miguel Cabrera finished second with three first-place nods. Boyd is the first pitcher other than Justin Verlander to win the award since Steve Sparks in 2001, and the first lefty hurler to win since John Hiller in 1973.
-
Nov 25, 2020: Matthew Boyd was the Tigers’ Opening Day starter four months ago after spending part of the coronavirus shutdown keeping his arm fresh throwing long-toss in local parks. He was the team’s player representative for the MLB Players Association in the clubhouse this season, helping guide them through negotiations to play this summer. At home, he’s the proud father of two.
And yet, maybe the most amazing news for him this year happened half a world away. When workers broke ground on construction for a new home for 40 kids in Uganda, it marked a milestone for the Kingdom Home charity, which Boyd founded with his wife, Ashley.
What began a few years ago as an effort to help rescue three dozen children from child trafficking and sex slavery has grown to include 156 kids. If all goes well over the next year, they’ll have a self-sustaining complex of four homes, a well for water and both hydroponic and traditional farming to help provide food. It’s beyond what the Boyds could’ve imagined when they felt called by a humanitarian emergency to take the jump into their own charitable foundation.
“They all have a home feel,” Matthew Boyd said of the houses, which include kitchens, living spaces and separate sleeping quarters. “They're not orphanages. They're not dormitories. It's a home. And that's the goal: a home for these children.”
The homes have been in the planning stages for more than a year, from designing the rooms to acquiring land to gaining donations to help fund the project. It’s a big reason for the Boyds to be thankful this holiday.
“It’s really been a blessing,” he continued. “The restrictions with COVID delayed the timeline a little bit, but ground has been broken. It’s so exciting to see that. We're hoping to get [the first home] done in the next couple months. It's really cool to see all these things start to come to fruition and all the children can be on the same land together.”
That doesn’t mean the year has been easy.
-
When the coronavirus pandemic reached Uganda, the Boyds worried about the fate of the kids as well as their houseparents. Beyond the imminent risk to health, the pandemic led to restrictions on local markets, making it difficult to buy food and supplies.
For kids who were rescued from dangerous circumstances, the pandemic led to a new danger. For the Boyds, they had to worry and pray thousands of miles away.
“Please join us in praying for continued protection and peace over the entire Kingdom Home family in Uganda,” the Boyds posted in March on the Kingdom Home Instagram account.
Thankfully, Matthew Boyd said, everyone has stayed healthy. While Uganda has reportedly had more than 11,000 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, none have involved Kingdom Home. Meanwhile, the markets have opened back up.
“It's tough not being there,” he said, “but everything happens for a reason. We're just thankful all the children are safe. No one has been exposed. It's been a blessing in that sense.”
And that’s where his heart strings get tugged. Normally, this is the time of year that Boyd would’ve been there. Two years ago, he made his first visit. Last November, he brought Tigers teammate Spencer Turnbull. The experience of meeting the kids and seeing the impact their work has made was life-changing, and inspired Turnbull to embark on his own charitable efforts.
The pandemic scuttled any travel plans for this offseason. So like they do during most of the year, the Boyds follow from afar. It doesn’t dampen their emotions.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It's amazing what God can do. It's beyond anything my wife and I could've ever imagined. I would have never imagined more than the 36 children that we started with. I couldn't imagine the 156 children. I'm flattered and thankful and so grateful.”
To help support the effort, Matthew Boyd will host a live question-and-answer session on Giving at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday on their Instagram account @Kingdom.Home. He’ll take questions about their efforts in Uganda as well as about baseball. He’ll even answer some questions about new Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who reached out to Boyd after his hire, and pitching coach Chris Fetter.
“[Hinch is] so knowledgeable about the game,” Boyd said. “He's very knowledgeable just about what I do personally and what brings me success and how I deviated from it last year. It was really cool to hear his perspective and really cool to continue to learn from him as well. We're very fortunate to have all of these guys.”
For more information on Kingdom Home, visit kingdomhome.org. (J Beck - MLB.com - Nov 25, 2020)
-
Nov 24, 2021: Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd has a lot on his mind between a growing family -- his wife Ashley gave birth to twins last month -- and his rehab from elbow surgery. But as he and his family sit down for Thanksgiving, he has plenty to be thankful for, not just at home but on the other side of the world.
While Boyd was working to rebuild his arm strength from surgery, Kingdom Home -- the foundation he and his wife founded three years ago to combat child trafficking in Uganda -- completed construction of three homes on land they purchased. Boyd announced the news in October through his Twitter account.
-
It’s a massive step in their effort to protect kids. It’s also beyond the wildest dreams Boyd had when he and Ashley were inspired to help a house mother and a group of kids in need.
“It was so amazing,” he said. “I remember in 2018, when Ashley and I took this step. It was a dream to buy land, and it was a dream to buy permanent homes that would be debt-free, sustainable, that would help generations of kids. And it happened.”
-
The Kingdom Home nonprofit has been a calling for the Boyds for the last few years. It began with a helping hand to a widow who had rescued three dozen children from forced marriages, prostitution rings and other harrowing situations in Uganda. The Boyds kept a single house going, then expanded the effort from providing housing and food to helping the kids get an education and develop a career.For the first few years, the foundation was renting, starting with one home and adding a couple others. Through generous donations, they were able to purchase land to build. The homes were in the planning stages for over a year, from designing the rooms to acquiring land to gaining donations to help fund the project. But getting them actually built became a challenge amidst the pandemic.The homes -- large houses that can fit up to 40 kids -- were just the start of the vision. The Boyds dreamed of a self-sustaining operation that could allow the rescue effort to flourish for years. They’re on their way.
Having a well on the land that can provide clean water was an early step. But beyond putting a roof over kids’ heads, the foundation received the donation of solar panels to install on each roof, allowing Kingdom Home to harvest the energy of equatorial sunshine for power needs.
Elsewhere on the 12-acre plot is an area to be used for farming, both hydroponic and traditional.“We're starting to grow crops and have agriculture,” Boyd said, “which will provide not only food, but a trade to be learned.”
There’s also education. While schools have been closed for much of the pandemic, they’ve brought in tutors to keep the kids learning. When schools resume, the homes are across the street from a primary school, and the foundation has raised money for a van to help transport older kids to a secondary school down the road.
Out of the 156 girls and boys Kingdom Home has rescued, over 100 are currently in the new homes, with the rest on a nearby property. The Boyds are hopeful to build more homes and help more kids.
“We're thankful for the family that is Kingdom Home, from the house parents that are in the country to the employees in country and stateside,” Boyd said. “And credit to my wife. She's the executive director. And then it comes down to the donors, from running a bake sale to raise money to the child sponsors that donate on every level.
“It's my teammates, like Spencer [Turnbull], Niko [Goodrum], [Tarik] Skubal. Eric Haase did a signing and donated all the proceeds. We have partnered with multiple churches. The whole state has been supportive and we're so thankful for that.”
All the while, the Boyds have been juggling their own family along with Matthew’s career. He underwent surgery last month to repair the flexor tendon in his left arm. He spent two weeks following the surgery recovering in Dallas before returning home to Seattle, where Ashley gave birth to Judah James and Joanna Grace on Oct. 29.
Pitching-wise, Boyd said he feels good. The timetable he was given suggested a return in June, and he plans to begin throwing bullpen sessions sometime in Spring Training. He’s eligible for one more year of arbitration; the Tigers have until Tuesday evening to decide whether to tender him a contract.
“Everything's pointing to ahead of schedule right now,” he said. “Don't really know what next year will hold, but I know what I'm going to do.” (J Beck - MLB.com - Nov 24, 2021)
TRANSACTIONS
-
June 2013: The Blue Jays chose Boyd in the 6th round, out of Oregon State University. Matt signed before the deadline for a bonus of $75,000, via scout Ryan Fox.
-
July 30, 2015: The Blue Jays sent three lefthanded pitchers to the Tigers: Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt. Toronto received David Price.
-
Jan 11, 2019: Boyd and the Tigers avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year deal for $2.6 million.
-
Jan 10, 2020: Boyd and the Tigers avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year deal for $5.3 million.
-
Jan 15, 2021: Boyd and the Tigers avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year deal for $6.5 million.
-
Nov 30, 2021: Matt was non-tendered and chose free agency.
-
March 17, 2022: The San Francisco Giants and left-hander Matt Boyd agreed to a one-year, $5.2-million contract. Boyd’s contract includes up to $2.3 million in performance bonuses for games started as a pitcher at the Major League level: $400,000 each for 12, 14 and 16 starts; $500,000 for 18 starts; and $600,000 for 20 starts. Boyd is targeting a June return after undergoing surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his left forearm in September 2021.
-
Aug. 2, 2022: Mariners acquire C Curt Casali and LHP Matthew Boyd from Giants for RHP Michael Stryffeler and C Andy Thomas.
-
Nov 2, 2022: Mathew chose free agency.
- Dec. 1, 2022: Boyd returned to the Tigers on one-year, $10 million deal.