TORONTO — The first pitch of Matthew Boyd’s season was hit off the right-center field wall, awkwardly played into a stand-up triple by the fill-in center fielder and limited right fielder.
But with a runner at third base and nobody out in the bottom of the first inning on Friday night, the baker’s dozen of pitches Boyd followed with told his story of the night.
Armed with solid breaking balls against a swing-happy lineup, the Detroit Tigers’ left-hander struck out the next three batters swinging, escaping early damage, setting the tone for a strong season-opening performance. But that 10-strikeout performance did not result in a win, not with a four-run hiccup and an swing-happy Tigers lineup that produced only two hits.