{"id":29318,"date":"2025-09-29T20:59:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T01:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/09\/29\/how-cubs-game-1-starter-matthew-boyd-will-draw-on-playoff-experience-its-all-energy\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T20:59:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T01:59:58","slug":"how-cubs-game-1-starter-matthew-boyd-will-draw-on-playoff-experience-its-all-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/09\/29\/how-cubs-game-1-starter-matthew-boyd-will-draw-on-playoff-experience-its-all-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"How Cubs’ Game 1 starter Matthew Boyd will draw on playoff experience: ‘It’s all energy’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Matthew Boyd<\/h2>\n

When Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd takes the mound at Wrigley Field for Game 1 of a National League wild-card series Tuesday against the Padres, he\u2019ll know what to do with the extra nerves and excitement that come with playoff stakes.
\n\u2018\u2018It\u2019s all energy,\u2019\u2019 Boyd said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. \u2018\u2018You just acknowledge it for what it is and feed off it.\u2019\u2019
\nHe has pitched in big moments in the postseason before, but this season is unique. For the first time in Boyd\u2019s career, he\u2019s going to be a key member of a playoff rotation after serving as a cornerstone of the Cubs\u2019 success all season.<\/p>\n

Boyd’s Playoff Experience<\/h2>\n

The Cubs announced Monday that Boyd, who earned his first All-Star nod in July and finished the season with a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts, will kick off their postseason by starting Game 1.
\n\u2018\u2018He\u2019s been our consistent, take-the-ball-every-time starter,\u2019\u2019 manager Craig Counsell said. \u2018\u2018And you\u2019re happy to hand the ball to a guy like that.\u2019\u2019
\nThe Cubs lined up their rotation in the last week of the regular season to give themselves a number of options. But when rookie right-hander Cade Horton, who had been lights-out since the All-Star break, landed on the injured list with a fractured rib, Boyd looked like the clear choice.<\/p>\n

Previous Postseason Appearances<\/h2>\n

Boyd went through eight major-league seasons before getting his first taste of the playoffs in 2022. His only appearance that postseason came in the 16th inning of Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Mariners and Astros. He faced three batters \u2014 including current teammate Kyle Tucker, whom he walked \u2014 and got one out.
\n\u2018\u2018It ended up being a great opportunity because I got to sit back and stay ready but also just take it all in,\u2019\u2019 Boyd said. \u2018\u2018Take in what everything was like, take in the emotions, the feelings that I had watching my teammates go through it. And I think it really served me well going into last year.\u2019\u2019
\nHe made it back to the postseason with the Guardians in 2024. A midseason addition, Boyd returned from Tommy John surgery to help propel them to a strong finish and the AL Central title.
\nFrom his return Aug. 13, when he held the Cubs to one run in 5\u2153 innings, through the end of last season, he posted a 2.79 ERA. He then made two starts in the AL Division Series and one in the AL Championship Series, allowing a combined one run.<\/p>\n

Boyd’s Expectations for the Cubs<\/h2>\n

\u2018\u2018When I was rehabbing alone and I couldn\u2019t find a job, I knew in my heart I was going to get the chance,\u2019\u2019 Boyd said. \u2018\u2018Just as I knew we\u2019d get the chance this year. And that doesn\u2019t make sense to a lot of people, and it doesn\u2019t need to.\u2019\u2019
\nHe has held the belief that the Cubs were playoff-bound since signing with them last offseason. And the Cubs believed, after seeing his comeback with the Guardians, that he could help them end their postseason drought.
\n\u2018\u2018The cool part, as a contrast to last year, is you get to go through the battles,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018From spring training to our trip in Tokyo to the amazing April to the tough parts where we\u2019re not winning like we did before.\u2019\u2019
\nHe listed highs and lows, from watching left-hander Justin Steele lose his season to elbow surgery to seeing Horton put together a Rookie of the Year-caliber season to bearing witness to Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s \u2018\u2018amazing year.\u2019\u2019 Boyd\u2019s list of his teammates\u2019 season accomplishments went on.<\/p>\n

\"Cardinals<\/p>\n

Upcoming Game<\/h2>\n

The Cubs host the Padres in the NL wild-card round, which begins Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"Cubs<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Boyd, an All Star this season, will get the nod for the first game of what the team hopes is a lengthy October run. The Cubs are looking to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Matthew Boyd When Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd takes the mound at Wrigley Field for Game 1 of a National League wild-card series Tuesday against the Padres, he\u2019ll know what to do with the extra nerves and excitement that come with playoff stakes. \u2018\u2018It\u2019s all energy,\u2019\u2019 Boyd said in a recent conversation with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-29318","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/46eeddc\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5076x2898+0+0\/resize\/1461x834!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe9%2Ff6%2Ff4686f0a49a18c2ceea6e9388785%2F2235098134-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29318"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29318"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29320,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29318\/revisions\/29320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}