Oil Can Boyd

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Dennis Ray "Oil Can" Boyd (born on October 6, 1959 in Meridian, Mississippi) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Boyd played for the Boston Red Sox (1982-89), Montreal Expos (1990-91), and Texas Rangers (1991). He batted and threw right handed.

Boyd had one of the more colorful personalities of his generation and a quotable outlook that made him memorable long after his career ended. He attended Jackson State University. Being selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round of the 1980 amateur draft, Boyd made his debut in the 1982 season. He pitched 10 years in the majors before blood clots in his right arm ended his career.

In a 10-season career, Boyd collected a 78-77 record with 799 strikeouts and a 4.04 ERA in 1389.2 innings.

From 1983-85 Boyd won 31 games for the Sox, with a high 15 victories in 1985. In the same season, he posted career-highs in games started (35), complete games (13), strikeouts (117) and innings pitched (272.1). In 1986 he won 16 games (a career-high), but after three disappointing years with Boston, he signed with the Expos as a free agent after the 1989 season.

In 1990 Boyd won 10 games with a career-best 2.93 ERA. When the Rangers acquired him from Montreal in the 1991 midseason, it looked like a deal which might lead to a division title, and though Boyd's work with the Expos before coming to Texas wasn't as good (6-8, 3.52), it was plenty good enough for the pitching-poor Rangers. That was the plan, but Boyd turned out to be a disaster. In 12 starts he posted a 2-7 record with a 6.68 ERA (the highest of his career) and allowed 81 hits in only 62 innings. Boyd was a free agent when the season ended, and after turning down some offers for relief duties, he retired for good. Between the 1990s and 2000s, Boyd has pitched in the minors, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

In November 2005, Boyd was indicted by a federal grand jury in Mississippi for threatening a former girlfriend (who was also a business associate) as well as her son. On November 14, 2005, Boyd surrendered to F.B.I. agents in Tupelo, Mississippi. [1]

1 From The News
2 Quotes
3 Trivia
4 Sources

[edit] From The News

April 1, 2005 - The Brockton Rox will have 'Oil Can' Boyd in their training camp when the season opens up in May. The former Red Sox pitcher played for Rox manager Ed Nottle in the Northern League and is looking for a spot on the team as a 45-year-old right hander.

On May 23, 2006 Boyd earned a roster spot with the Rox and signed with the minor-league team, preserving his attempt for a big-league comeback 14 years after he left the majors.

On May 30, 2006 Boyd started against the Worcester Tornadoes in his first professional outing since 1997. He received no decision as he allowed two earned runs in six innings.

Boyd currently lives in East Providence, Rhode Island with his wife, daughter Tala, and son Dennis.

[edit] Quotes

He (Oil Can) pitched like his hero, Satchel Paige, but with deception. - William C. Rhoden, of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [2]

I am The Can, and I am going to come right at you with my best shit, and if you can hit it, I want to see how far Bo Jackson can hit The Oil Can. Boyd, to Jackson, before he hit Boyd's first pitch over the 71-foot high score board in straight away center field at Fenway Park (the ball landed 515 feet from home plate). Resource: 10K Truth - Baseball Quotes [3].

That’s what they get for building a park on the ocean. --Boyd, after a 1986 Red Sox-Indians game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium (on the shore of Lake Erie) was postponed due to fog. Resource: 07/13/2004 article by Jeff Sullivan of The Pawtucket (RI) Times [4]

[edit] Trivia

Boyd's nickname comes from his beer-drinking days in his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, where beer is referred to as "oil."
Boyd keeps at least one horse on the property of his urban home. He can often be seen riding down the street of Meridian on this horse, and he often uses it for short runs to the cornerstore.