WASHINGTON -- Matthew Boyd is a student of the game. He’s also one of the most positive, silver lining-focused guys in the Cubs’ clubhouse. Maybe that's because he has overcome obstacle after obstacle.
In his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2023, Boyd is doing more than just overcoming: He’s demolishing.
Boyd’s latest quality start (and his eighth of the season) was also his latest push for a no-hitter. Carrying a no-no bid into the sixth inning, Boyd led the Cubs through a patented pitchers' duel vs. Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore. And though Chicago fell, 2-0, Boyd still shoved, allowing just two runs on four hits and one walk to go with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings at Nationals Park.
“I’m grateful,” Boyd said. “I’m grateful for the Cubs to give me this opportunity here, and you know, we got an awesome ballclub. So it’s really fun to be a part of this team, fun to be part of what we’re doing as a team this year. And I just have a lot of gratitude.”
The start marked Boyd’s longest of the season, and his longest outing since April 24, 2021, when he was with the Tigers.
“It’s just knowing what I expect of myself when I go out there,” Boyd said, “and it’s just -- go attack and compete each time the ball is in my hand. Situationally that might change, but in terms of just overarching, you know, I think that’s really as simple as it sounds.”
Pitching deep into games has become a trend with Boyd. It helps that he’s efficient -- he had thrown just 45 pitches through five innings on Wednesday. And it wasn’t until the sixth inning that Boyd allowed a walk, then a single in back-to-back plate appearances to end his perfect game and no-hitter bids, respectively.
“That’s what we talked about before the game,” catcher Carson Kelly said. “Just continuing to be dynamic and not following any patterns really, just keeping it mixed up the whole time. And he did a really good job, they [just] put a good swing on one pitch.”
“Carson did a great job of recognizing swings, recognizing their approach the first time through the order,” Boyd said. “We had a lot of first-pitch outs. So kind of adapted, played with their aggressiveness and constantly missed. He did a great job back there.”
Boyd couldn’t have had the success he did without some impressive defense behind him. There was the would-be “play” in the fifth inning, when Pete Crow-Armstrong covered 107 feet to catch a fly ball from Alex Call, ranging from center field to the wall in left-center to make an over-the-head running catch -- on a ball that had just a 50% catch probability.
Then, there was a line drive in the seventh inning -- a liner that left James Wood’s bat at 103.5 mph -- that Michael Busch snagged seemingly before it even left the bat and cut off the Nationals’ momentum before it could build into anything substantial. (Amed Rosario had gone yard in the previous at-bat to break up the scoreless tie.)
“Pete made a great play in center, guys up the middle made great plays,” Boyd said. “Buschy made a great play. ... The guys behind [me] did a great job. Carson, a great job.”
But pitching and defensive gems only mean so much without offense to back them, and after the first three batters singled to open the matchup, the Cubs were hitless until a single from Dansby Swanson in the top of the ninth.
If Boyd keeps pitching the way he has -- and Kelly is confident his pitcher will go above and beyond what has already been accomplished -- there will be more opportunities for Chicago’s bats to have his back.
“I think you’re seeing a pretty good version of him,” Kelly said, “and I think he’s going to get better.
“In this game especially, we focus so much on the negatives. And he’s one of the guys who really celebrates those little positives. ... I think he’s learned that over his time, and I think he’s just going to, again, continue to get better.”