On his way to becoming one of baseball’s top pitchers, Detroit’s clear star and the AL’s likely Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal met a veteran left-handed pitcher who helped him out.
On Monday, Skubal will meet Matthew Boyd again.
In a story that feels like it’s straight from a movie, the former Tigers teammates will pitch against each other in Game 2 of the AL Division Series, as Cleveland tries to take a 2-0 lead after beating Detroit in the first game.
The matchup of Skubal and Boyd wasn’t something anyone expected.
“Baseball is incredible,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who had his own reunion last week when he returned to Houston for the wild-card round. “It leads you to sometimes familiar places, and this one is leading us to a familiar face in a really big game against somebody who we all respect and admire.”
It would have seemed almost impossible to imagine a Skubal-Boyd matchup happening, especially on such a big stage in October.
Boyd, who is 33 years old, was at a turning point in his career just a few months ago as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery last year. His future looked uncertain.
“Middle of June, I’m throwing showcases to teams and coaching kids’ Little League games,” Boyd said Sunday, looking back on his journey.
What happened next was as surprising as Cleveland’s success in winning the AL Central title.
Boyd kept pushing through, and with Skubal’s support from his own recovery from the same elbow surgery years earlier, he found a new opportunity with the Guardians. They avoided a complicated trade market and signed him to a one-year contract in June to add depth to a rotation that was struggling with injuries.
He has made eight starts since joining Cleveland, and his ninth will be against a team he knows better than his current one. “Amazing,” Boyd said. “I couldn’t write this script.”
Back in 2020, Skubal was a rising prospect with the Tigers when the COVID pandemic hit. As a rookie trying to find his place in the big leagues, Skubal looked up to Boyd like a big brother.
Taking a cue from former teammate Justin Verlander, Boyd organized team dinners on the road. Skubal remembers these gatherings helped him and some other Tigers players feel connected during a time of isolation.
“We probably weren’t supposed to be in each other’s rooms,” Skubal said, recalling the restrictions back then. “He had dinner for us. He’s a great mentor and leader. He means a lot to me.”
Their relationship grew from teammates to close friends.
When Skubal faced challenges in his first two seasons with the Tigers, he often sought advice from Boyd. Boyd was always there for him, and what he shared usually made a difference.
“He had a lot of advice and a lot of good stuff for me throughout all that,” Skubal said. “That speaks to the guy he is. He’s the nicest guy in the world. I told him that, like, ‘Dude, you should act a little more mad sometimes.’ He’s so nice all the time.”
Boyd, being the supportive teammate he is, downplayed his influence on Skubal.
“We’re all trying to make each other better,” he said. “So if there were any ways that I helped Tarik, he helped me equally as much.” That’s just typical Boyd.
For eight seasons, he was the face of Detroit. He lived in Michigan during the off-season, raised his family there, and became an important leader and mentor in the clubhouse.
As Detroit went through its rebuilding phase, Boyd’s steady presence became very valuable.
Hinch joked on Sunday that he was hesitant to say something nice about Boyd just before facing him. But he couldn’t help it.
Like Skubal, Hinch recognizes what Boyd meant to the Tigers, especially during some tough years for the team.
“He was asked to be a huge leader as young pitchers were brought in, as they learned how to be big leaguers and how to win,” Hinch said. “He was key in laying some of this foundation.
“And everyone loves Matt Boyd. He was the opening day starter. I got to name him that. I also had him take a leadership role on these first teams that included names we know now, like Tarik and others, as a veteran who brought stability to a team that really needed it.”
Skubal learned how important it is to have a consistent routine from Boyd. Get your rest. Do your preparation. Trust your abilities.
As Skubal built an impressive resume this season, leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39), and strikeouts (228), he said he received a text from Boyd after every game.
“Always positive things,” Skubal said. “It’s never like, ‘Hey, you looked bad out there.’ Always positive things. He’s such a good person.”
So when Boyd signed with the Guardians, one of the Tigers’ division rivals, Skubal couldn’t help but send his friend a message.
“My first text was that he was a traitor,” Skubal said with a laugh. “Now we’re on this stage. That’s pretty special. It’ll be fun to watch him. But I’m going to be rooting against him pretty heavily.”
