Can-do attitude: Boyd to pitch for Rox
The legendary story of Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd will add another chapter this May when the 45-year-old righthander pitches for the Independent League Brockton Rox. Boyd, who splits time between his home in Rhode Island and Meridian, Miss., hopes to resurrect his major league career.
"I'm throwing the ball as well as I ever have," said Boyd, who last pitched in the majors for the Texas Rangers in 1991. "I probably throw 90, and I've never thrown 90. I'm throwing all of my pitches. I picked up a ball at Sam Horn's baseball school the other day and I wasn't even going all out and I was popping it.
"It's exciting, and who knows what could happen? If I pitch well and a scout checks me out and sees the way I'm throwing the ball, who knows?"
Boyd, one of the most colorful players in Red Sox history, pitched eight seasons for Boston (1982-89) before signing with the Montreal Expos as a free agent. His career was cut short two years later when he developed blood clots in his right shoulder that required injections of blood thinners into his stomach.
Boyd, who went 78-77 with a 4.04 ERA in 10 seasons, believed he was blackballed from baseball because of his flamboyant nature. He won 15 games in 1985 and 16 in 1986, when the Red Sox reached the World Series. He was known for excellent control and an array of pitches, which now includes a knuckleball.
"My career ended long before it should have," Boyd said. "I don't have the problems with the blood clots anymore. I'm not on blood thinners. My body and my arm are normal now.
"I've always thought I was a natural thrower, and I know that I can pitch until I'm an old man. It's just something I was born to do and I've missed being out on the ballfield where I was always the most peaceful."
One of the more controversial episodes of Boyd's career came when he was left off the 1986 All-Star team and became enraged. He was suspended by the Red Sox and evaluated at a psychiatric hospital before returning to the team in August and helping the Red Sox in their push for the American League pennant.
Boyd will pitch for former Red Sox Triple A manager Ed Nottle, who is the Rox' manager. The Rox are in the Canada-American Association of Professional Baseball. Teams include the Bangor Lumberjacks, North Shore Spirit, Elmira Pioneers, New Haven County Cutters, New Jersey Jackals, and Les Capitales de Quebec.
The 6-foot-1-inch Boyd pitched at 155 pounds and doesn't look much different today.
"I work out all the time," Boyd said. "I've kept myself in shape, hoping I'd be able to make it back to baseball."
Boyd's father, Willie James Boyd, and his uncle, KT, played with Satchel Paige in the Negro Leagues, according to Boyd, who has been fascinated by Paige all his life and has sought to emulate his hero. Boyd has thought of himself as a modern-day Paige, who pitched into his 60s.
Boyd, now a contractor by trade, also has plans for a minor league baseball facility in Meridian and hopes to put an Independent League franchise there in the future. He will head up a group of former major leaguers who will tour the country as "Oil Can Boyd's Traveling Baseball Show" next season.
Boyd said he's been overwhelmed by the warmth of Red Sox fans since he returned to the area last summer. He said he's rekindled his relationship with the Red Sox and former general manager Lou Gorman.
"That's one thing that I really appreciate and cherish," said Boyd. "I'm on good terms with the Red Sox organization. That makes me feel good."
