Matthew Boyd: Emotions Run High as Guardians Prepare for Game 5

Matthew Boyd: Ready for Game 5 with High Stakes

CLEVELAND — Twenty-two hours before he was scheduled to toss the first pitch of the biggest game of his life, Matthew Boyd cried. He didn’t expect to shed tears, but the more he thought about the opportunity that lies ahead of him and the journey he has traveled to reach this point, the more he realized he couldn’t bury his emotions. He couldn’t pretend it’s a simple assignment to turn on autopilot and carve through the Cleveland Guardians lineup in Game 5 on Saturday afternoon without acknowledging the stakes, the crowd and the moment.

“It’s what you want,” Boyd said. “It means you’re alive. It means your heart is beating. It’s all energy. You just use it for good.” As the league opened the 2024 season, Boyd had shifted into a coaching role in the Pacific Northwest, managing his son’s softball team and T-ball team. Completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery, he found himself without a big-league team and unsure of what the season would bring.

The Weight of Expectations

His daughter asked why he wasn’t pitching, and by late June, he was healthy and ready to sign. When the energy from the Guardians’ dugout during a win in Baltimore spilled out of his TV, he knew he wanted to be a part of it. Four months later, the Guardians are handing him the ball with their season hanging in the balance. His adversary on the mound for Detroit will be his former mentee, who has grown into one of the
best pitchers in the league.

• High Stakes: A season will end on this game day.
• Emotional Spectrum: One team will celebrate, while the other mourns.

Matthew Boyd needs to manage his breaths as the reality sinks in—a web of storylines colliding to create a Hollywood-worthy script. “This is what you dream of,” he said. “This is what you want.”

The Pinnacle of Sports Emotion

Fans know it's all or nothing. One group of players will celebrate, while the other will prepare to move on. “You want to be in those games,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “You’re not in an elimination game if you’re not having a good year.”