AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 16, 2024

Matthew Boyd

Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. You've talked about the process of rehabbing and getting back to 100 percent. In terms of your actual pitch mix and what you've worked on here with Cleveland, is anything different from before the injury as a pitcher?

MATTHEW BOYD: I think the biggest thing is I've spent the better parts of the last four years trying to find the best version of myself, but obviously there were things in the way of that, injuries.

You know, it's hard to repeat your delivery because of something that you feel, so you do your best to pitch through that, yet you pitch around it, and one degree up here, 60 feet, 6 inches away, the fan variance is 17 inches down there. That's to home plate.

I would say what you see now is me just being healthy, and with that, just finally having healthy reps, and being able to do the things that I've wanted to do and with the staff of Joe and Carl and Brad. Those guys understanding, hey, this is the best version of you, and what this looks like here and what this looks like here, it's just a constant evolution every day. I'm really, really grateful for these guys.

Q. It's a good lineup, obviously. How much better is it when they have Rizzo in the bottom there, the power at the bottom and flip it over to him?

MATTHEW BOYD: Definitely. Rizzo is a very good hitter. He's obviously done it in the postseason. He's done it in this park in the postseason. His reputation precedes him.

They have a very good lineup, and it's a welcome challenge, respect these guys, and it'll be a fun task.

Q. What's the best part of the playoff experience?

MATTHEW BOYD: Oh, man, that's a good question. I mean, personally for me, I've spent the better parts of nine seasons watching the playoffs from home. I also had one year in Seattle. It's one of those things where you're like, man, I know my time is going to come to get to do that.

You just don't know what it feels like when you get out there. It's just kind of invigorating. It feels like Opening Day all over again, but that doesn't even do it justice.

It's crazy how you play 162 games. You work a whole year to get to this point, and it's like -- you don't want to say it's all for nothing, but the slate is wiped clean. It's like, here you go, just go compete. I think that's the coolest part of it. It's kind of electrifying in that sense.

Q. What's the part of Hosey that you didn't know until you became his teammate?

MATTHEW BOYD: Oh, man. A lot. When you face somebody from 60 feet away for a whole career, you build up things probably about a player that are true and not true and whatnot.

I think the coolest thing about Hosey is the way he shows up ready to play every day. The guy is a gamer. Doesn't matter how he feels. He's the same guy every single day.

We had an idea of that when you're playing against him, but when you see it firsthand, you can give him the word spark plug, leader. There's multiple synonyms that you can use to describe him.

He's truly special. He's one of the best players in our game. He's been one of the best players in our game. When the game is on the line, he's the guy you want in the box, the ball going his way, because you know he's always going to make a big play.

Q. Tanner had told us that his first postseason start, lead block in his stomach, felt like he couldn't focus his thoughts and he needed to work through that. But his second postseason start, he didn't feel basically any of that.

You just referenced the Opening Day feeling. Do you expect on a day like tomorrow when you're pitching in a game that really feels like you've got to win, do you expect it to feel more like, hey, this is that game that has all these emotions and butterflies or will it slow down because you've pitched in the postseason?

MATTHEW BOYD: I don't know how it's going to feel, but I know what I'm going to do. That's kind of the way I approach it. My game is my game. How I feel, whether it's injury, how I feel, whether it's emotions. So much can happen. It's a slippery slope to say how you feel is going to dictate how you -- what you're going to go do.

However I feel, whether it's super excited or, like you said, a lead block in my stomach, I'll be happy for it, and I'll just go out there and go do what I know I'm going to do when the ball is in my hand.

Q. If you had starts where maybe you didn't feel great but the output was really good or you felt really well and didn't execute quite well --

MATTHEW BOYD: Yeah, yeah, without a doubt, and everywhere in between. That's the beauty of this game, right? Really what it comes down to is just what do you do when the ball is in your hand? What do you expect of yourself? Then you just go do that. You just go compete. That's kind of what you're commanded to do when the ball is in your hand, and that's the cool part.

Q. Matthew, what's the key when you're facing Judge and Soto, especially early in the game? How do you pitch to those guys?

MATTHEW BOYD: Oh, man, you go out there and attack. They're very good hitters. You respect their ability, their reputation. What they did this year is really impressive. You just go out there and you just compete.

It's a welcome challenge, but yeah, they're very, very good ballplayers. I think the biggest thing is you just go out there and compete against them.

Q. How do you watch the game over Games 1 and 2 when you know you have a start coming up in a postseason series? Are you able to enjoy it and watch any of the game, or are you locked in and trying to learn something from the at-bats?

MATTHEW BOYD: Both. You do a little bit of everything. You're definitely locked in. Learning from what's out there. Obviously you try to dial in on the left-handers more than anything else because they're the most obviously similar to you.

I mean, you just watch the game. I grew up -- my dad is a coach. He still coaches summer baseball, 18U baseball in the Seattle area. Ever since I was a kid, I've kind of always watched the game through a coach's lens, through strategy, whatnot. When you're watching the game, I love to put myself in maybe what the hitter is trying to do or look at the guys on deck and whatnot and just think of it that way. But you're always watching little details. It's always fun to watch the strategy of the game and watch how guys approach it and whatnot.

Q. You talked about going and competing against the top of the Yankees' lineup. How do you balance being aggressive as opposed to when you sit back and sort of see how the at-bat is going to try and get them out?

MATTHEW BOYD: I mean, it's a balance of knowing the lineup, knowing the situation of the game, all of it. Just as it is all year. But the goal is to get them out. That's just what it comes down to. You've got to go out there and you've got to go compete against them.

The game will dictate anything else that needs to happen. But it's the postseason; you want to go against the best. You wouldn't want it any other way.

You get the chance to go against Skubal like we did. He was the top this year in the AL in starters, and it's a welcome challenge. And the Yankees, their lineup, it's solid, man. They're the best team in the AL record-wise all year. You want that challenge. We want to go up against the best, and as a pitcher, you welcome that.

Q. Based on the way you guys played the first two games and the way you played coming in there, so solid defensively, no mistakes, were you surprised by kind of the -- just kind of the defensive breakdowns here and there in games 1 and 2, and do you think was the moment too big or what?

MATTHEW BOYD: I mean, I think we're human. Stuff happens. Rocchio is so sure-handed. Stuff just happens. That's just the nature of it. If we were perfect, it probably wouldn't go out there and even play the games when it came down to it. It happens. We just collect ourselves and come out and be ready to compete tomorrow. That's kind of the nature of this, not only baseball but life. You pick yourself up when stuff happens and make the adjustments that you need to and go forward. It doesn't change who we are. It doesn't change what we think about anybody or anything like that, what we think about ourselves. We just know individually and collectively what we're capable of, and we'll go out there and go play our game when it comes out tomorrow and learn from our mistakes.

Q. Because there was some raggedness in the first couple of games, do you get the sense that everyone is just kind of champing at the bit on this bigger stage to show the national audience what this team it all about?

MATTHEW BOYD: I don't think we're really wanting to show anybody. We know what we're about. Our record speaks for itself. We did it in the regular season. We know what we're made of. We're just going to go play our game.

Sometimes it doesn't work out like we want to. Like I said, that's the nature of being human. But we know who we are. We know our identity as a team. If anything, this is where we double down on it, and we'll be ready to do that and make the most out of today and come out tomorrow and do that.

Q. You mentioned kind of collecting your thoughts and sort of coming up for air after the way the first two games went. I know you wanted control over it, but would you have rather played today or are you glad you have a day off as a team to go have a workout, try to be competitive and then restart?

MATTHEW BOYD: I mean, gosh, something I don't even bother myself with because I don't write the schedule. We've got a day off today so we'll make the most of it, prepare ourselves, and be ready to come out tomorrow.