Boyd had his sights set on Christmas, a personal gift for all his post-surgery work.

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

Boyd, a left-handed pitcher with 10 years and 880 MLB innings pitched, was just trying 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 45 feet and set up a net in his driveway. Then he started throwing. And throw. Not hard, but he threw. A game of catch with the net on a chilly Christmas morning. Boyd remembered there was 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 pitch in the playoffs and the World Series.”

Boyd smiled as he remembered Ashley Boyd’s words.

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

The long way

This is his first MLB game in 422 days, when he beat the Cubs 2-1 on August 13th. This is one of Cleveland’s best pitchers over the final six weeks of the season. This is 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 guards are amazing. The coaches are great. The boys are great.

It’s all…amazing.

“At the beginning of spring training, I didn’t have a team,” he said. “I didn’t have a team on opening day. On June 1st I didn’t have a team.”

He knew he would pitch again…somewhere…eventually.

Boyd had played for Detroit for eight years, compiling a 42-65 record and a 4.93 ERA. When healthy, he was a guy who could pitch respectably and handle innings.

In 2020, arm problems began. In September 2021, he underwent flexor tendon surgery on his left arm. He returned toward 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 there was still something wrong with his arm. That led to Tommy John surgery.

Take a risk

While Boyd was rehabilitating his arm, several teams came calling.

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

He decided to forgo the minor league deal.

“It’s 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 his arm. Cleveland and other teams took notice of him. Virtually every MLB team was looking for starting pitchers.

Boyd’s representatives set up a display case. On June 7, he threw a 55-pitch bullpen session at UCLA.

“There were 18 teams (in attendance),” Boyd said. “I was a little nervous, but I felt good about my arm and the progress we had made. I threw my 55 throws and 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 calls

The Guardians had one of their scouts at the showcase. But they had monitored Boyd before. His representatives had videos and other metrics from various bullpen sessions.

“Now we don’t just have to 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 a single bullpen session.”

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

Boyd attended Oregon State. He contacted Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, another Oregon State product.

“The more people I talked to, the more I heard that 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 a reputation as an incredible teammate,” Antonetti said. “We had to figure out when he would be ready to pitch. Would it be this season or next season?”

Cleveland reviewed his medical reports along with bullpen session data. On June 29, he signed a one-year contract with the Guardians. Cleveland knew he needed time to build his arm strength, and they set up a schedule for him to appear in minor league games.

The Guardians did not speed up the process. Boyd made five minor league starts and covered 21⅓ innings. He only allowed two runs.

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

Who knew?

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

He is a skilled pitcher who works the corners, changes speeds and uses four different pitches.

“That was a big deal,” he said. “Being able to throw all my throws with confidence. I continued to work on the different pitches during these (minor league) starts.”

The Guardians are overjoyed with Boyd.

“It’s a little unreasonable to expect a pitcher coming out of Tommy John to immediately pitch as well as Matt,” Antonetti said. “But after getting to know Matt personally, his success doesn’t surprise me. He has an incredible work ethic that allows him to perform to the best of his abilities every day. He is an incredible teammate who elevates the environment around him. He had a huge impact on us.”

Boyd also used the word “grateful” several times in the conversation. Research shows that 36% of current MLB pitchers have had Tommy John surgery. Not everyone comes back as quickly or as well as Boyd.

Now it’s the playoffs.

And yes, he can go back and watch the video his wife took on Christmas morning — the video she said he wanted to see when he pitched in the postseason.