Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd announced he will be playing for Team USA during an appearance on “Foul Territory.”
“My perspective is this: Any chance to get to represent our country is something that’s really special. I’m grateful for this game. It’s given me plenty of opportunities. I get to play a game for a living. In 2009, on the 18-U team, I was the last cut. In college, I was a replacement player,” Boyd said on the show. “I was the guy holding a spot for the guys playing in the College World Series. I got sent home and went back to play in college summer baseball. I told the guys I was interested in doing it, and (Mark DeRosa) called a couple of weeks ago. When he called, I just knew it was something I wanted to do.”
Boyd joins Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Paul Skenes, Cal Raleigh, Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow-Armstrong, who have all confirmed they will play for Team USA. He and Skenes are the only pitchers to confirm their participation so far. Pitching has always been a major talking point for Team USA in the tournament, and so far, Team USA has already landed arguably the best pitcher in baseball and Boyd, coming off a career year.
Boyd played in his 11th season last year and was named an All-Star for the first time. He started 31 games and had a 3.21 ERA. One of the big keys for Boyd was keeping his walks down. The other key was staying healthy. After dealing with injuries for the last four seasons, he was able to stay on the field.
Boyd does not have the fastest fastball, but it is effective. His four-seamer averages 93.3 mph and is his most used pitch. He threw the four-seamer 46.6% of the time last season. Opponents hit just .247 against the pitch all season.
Boyd also throws a changeup, slider, curveball and sinker. However, his changeup and slider are his big swing and miss pitches. Boyd had 46 strikeouts with his change-up. For reference, he had 54 strikeouts with his four-seamer despite throwing it more than double the times he threw his changeup. Opponents hit .205 against the pitch, and it generated a 32.3% whiff rate.
His slider is his third most utilized pitch. He notched 38 strikeouts on just 14.9% usage. He had a 34.9% whiff rate on that pitch. He brings quality swing and miss stuff with both his changeup and slider, getting 1.5 inches more induced vertical break than league-average from his slider. His changeup gets 1.5 inches more induced horizontal break than league average.
Boyd is already getting offers to help prepare for the tournament from potential batterymate Cal Raleigh. Raleigh has offered to catch bullpens for Boyd.
“When Cal offered to catch some pens, I said, ‘Heck yeah. I would love to,’” Boyd said on “Foul Territory.” “I threw him a first-pitch fastball last year and he hit a homer. It’s probably him just returning the favor in the nicest way.”
Raleigh was the American League MVP runner-up last season and is a phenomenal defensive catcher. He is a Platinum Glove winner and could be a great asset for Boyd to navigate the best lineups the world has to offer.
Photo: Matthew Boyd throws during the first inning in Game 1 of baseball’s National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
