AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 6, 2024

Matthew Boyd

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Matt, I forced A.J. Hinch to say some nice things about you earlier, and I was just wondering what this has been like for you maybe to not only get ready to face the Tigers but reflect on your time there as well.

MATTHEW BOYD: Yeah. Man, it's -- I just have so much gratitude to be where I am right now. You know, middle of June I'm throwing showcases to teams and coaching like kids' Little League games and whatnot and just praying everything works out in the right way. And obviously God has amazing plans and has a better script that I can ever write. I've probably said that to all you guys so many times already, but I'm just I'm truly grateful.

And the second part talking about Detroit, you know, it's -- the eight years that my family and I spent in Detroit are -- it'll always be a special place to us. We showed up there as a newlywed couple and we had -- our daughter is Michigander, or Michiganian, whichever way you want to say it. We went from a family of two to a family of six there.

So it's -- we have family, lifelong friends that we consider family in the area, and not to mention the people in the organization, the guys on that team. So, so thankful for everything that that organization gave me. I'm grateful for that time there.

Q. Matt, good seeing you again.

MATTHEW BOYD: Hey, man.

Q. What do you remember about Skubal back in that first Spring Training camp he was in with you in 2020, and what were the things that you tried to help him out with in that camp and later that year when you guys got started up?

MATTHEW BOYD: Yeah. Man, I don't know. There's not much that he needed help with. You talk about a guy that just has all the tools and is kind of dripping with that drive and talent, right?

So, I mean, I think that when you're on a team with someone, right, we're all trying to make each other better. So if there were any ways that I helped Tarik, he helped me equally as much. And it's I think kind of the stuff you always talk about is just understand how to get the best out of yourself at the level, at the Big League level, because it's the same game, and that's something that we all work on continually, right?

I mean, I know that it's like -- I can't say -- you gotta ask him that question. I don't know if there's anything I helped him with. You know what I mean? I truly mean that, right? Heck, Tarik is a guy that I leaned on over this last year through the rehab process. I don't know. That's not the best way to answer your question, but yeah.

Q. Was there a lot of back-and-forth with you guys when you were in Detroit last year and he was working back from the flexor tendon surgery?

MATTHEW BOYD: Yeah. Yeah. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. I mean, there's always back-and-forth with us, you know, kind of thing. There's always a lot of trash talking, too.

And I joked with him after this rehab I was going to throw 100 miles per hour and choosing not to, I guess. But no, I mean, he picked my brain about the flexor tendon surgery. They were a little bit different, but, I mean, I think more importantly, like you just kind of watched how he went through his rehab, and he attacked it, and he attacked it in the weight room, attacked it on the mechanical side. He really did a great job of dissecting his game and saying, okay, what can I do better to when I come back and be the best version of myself.

And that's something that when I had -- when I was staring down the 13 months, it was like that was the same thing that I looked at. It's like how can I be the best version of myself when I come back.

So, you know, I owe a lot to him and Casey, honestly, for helping guide me in that.

Q. Are you still a guy who keeps a bunch of gloves in your locker? I know that was a big thing for you in Detroit.

MATTHEW BOYD: Yeah. I got a collection still, but added a red one this year. So really liking that one.

Q. Just this point in your career, you've obviously been on a handful of teams and you know what makes teams work and have success and what doesn't. In your short time here, what has been the obvious thing, I guess, that maybe you've picked up on that why this team has been able to be so successful?

MATTHEW BOYD: Man, there's so many reasons, but I think something that sticks out about this ball club is the cohesiveness, and it's -- really, it's not only the cohesiveness, how close the guys are in this clubhouse, how close we are as a group, they made me feel welcome within days of being here. I almost had to check myself, like wait, is this real? I'm in my first week here. I gotta watch my Ps and Qs a little more.

So many good people in this clubhouse, and I think that brings out the best in everybody, when we're all friends. You know, in baseball you gotta be around your teammates and coaches more than you are your family, you know, for the better part of seven months, plus. So, gosh, with that, like it's -- I think when you like being around each other, it makes things a lot of fun at the field. So I think that's one separator with this group.

Q. Matt, yesterday we talked to Travis Fryman who spent multiple seasons with both Detroit and Cleveland, and he said -- and he's been a coach in Cleveland for 17 years now. We asked him about the rivalry and the matchup and all that, but he said when he sleeps he dreams he's still in a Tigers uniform. So I guess the obvious question to you is when you sleep, what uniform do you dream you're in?

MATTHEW BOYD: I just dream about holding up a trophy. You know what I mean? That's about it. That's a tough question to answer, you know. But I will say this. I'm grateful for my time in Detroit, and Detroit will always be a second home and I'll always have just immense, immense gratitude for the Tigers organization and a love for Michigan, you know, because of our time there.

Q. Matt, I'm wondering, what's it like having a bullpen like this having your back? And then second part would be has anybody tried to come up with a nickname for this bullpen in Cleveland?

MATTHEW BOYD: Gosh, nickname-wise, probably better to ask all the guys on the Cleveland beat, you know, everybody on the Cleveland beat. But they're special down there, man. I just think it's -- this group is really -- it's really special, and it's really cool when you -- guys are going to lock it down, right?

And they've done so well all year long. They've done everything that's asked of them, and I think guys have pitched in so many different roles in that sense, too. It's just kind of like next guy up. It's my job to get outs. And it's just really impressive.

Q. Matt, does your kind of mindset change when you're pitching and making a start in a regular season as opposed to the postseason? We saw Tanner go four and two-thirds yesterday. How do you approach that?

MATTHEW BOYD: Yeah. My job is to get outs. All right. Vogt is the one that's in charge of kind of pulling the right levers, and my job is to get outs as long as I'm out there.

So I think more than ever it's like you just -- the game is the same. You go pitch and, I mean, get as many outs as you can while it's asked, and then let the manager, let Vogter pull back on the reins when it's time to flip it to somebody else sort of thing. Mentality shouldn't change. Outs are outs, and you just go get them as long as you're told to.

Q. One more thing. How long did it take you to get on the same page with the Guardians catchers?

MATTHEW BOYD: I think you watch that first outing, it took a matter of pitches with me and Bo, right? And Hedgey, too. You know, I'd only thrown I think maybe one bullpen to Bo, and within minutes, you know, within a few pitches we were just -- we were working together well and whatnot.

I think communication can kind of cover up everything, right, in the best way possible. It breaks down those walls. So the best part about our catchers is that like we're out there and when we're in the dugout, we're going back and forth. We're breaking down what we see. We're breaking down how we're going to attack guys next time around and in the next inning. So that like -- the more you talk and you got that trust with each other, it just elevates everybody.