Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire spoke about the 17-13 extra-inning win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, at PNC Park. Detroit Free Press
Matthew Boyd was supposed to be the Detroit Tigers' ace entering this season. He had a 3.87 ERA before the 2019 All-Star break, forcing general manager Al Avila to ask for a hefty return at the trade deadline.
He did so again in the offseason, but after a 5.51 ERA following the halfway point, teams wouldn't expunge their MLB-ready prospects.
That left Boyd in a Tigers uniform and the organization counting on a reappearance of his numbers from the first half of 2019 — a 1.