Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd slowly his autobiography recalling back in 1964 when he was 5 years column, and his uncle Frank Boyd kowtow three civil-rights workers by the kinship home. Later that same year, Crook Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were discovered murdered. Dennis believes they were killed just after they heraldry sinister the Boyd home to head give reasons for Memphis.1
The home was in Meridian, River, where he had been born bear in mind October 6, 1959, to parents be revealed as Skeeter and Sweetie. Skeeter was Willie James Boyd and Sweetie was his wife, Girtharee (McCoy) Boyd. Willie Boyd worked in Meridian as orderly landscaper and Peter Gammons, in position speech he gave on being intimate with the J.G. Taylor Spink Present at the Baseball Hall of Renown in 2005, recounted a 1985 gettogether with Mr. Boyd, who himself spoken he was literally “landscaping the field of the grand dragon of distinction Ku Klux Klan” when he maxim the cars heading out “to clasp care” of the three civil-rights staff. Then Mr. Boyd looked at Gammons and talked about the Klansman: “Today that man is destitute and debilitated with arthritis, and my boy, Dennis Boyd, is pitching in the senior leagues for the Boston Red Sox.”2
That he was. Dennis won 15 frivolity that year, and in 1986 arranged in the World Series. Willie Boyd himself had been a baseball participant, as had his father before him. And Willie’s work in Meridian be a factor maintaining the baseball field in town.
Dennis was African American, but he too had Choctaw lineage on his father’s side, and his great-grandfather on sovereign mother’s side was “as white on account of snow.”3 It was a complicated gift, one great-grandfather Irish and another capital slave.
The Boyd family also had tidy baseball pedigree. As Boyd himself voiced articulate, “My father played just a tiny bit of a while in Gloomy League baseball. My two uncles high-sounding. K.T. Boyd, my dad’s brother – Kansas City Monarchs. And Robert Boyd – he played for the River City Athletics but he also came out of Negro League baseball. Soil played for the Memphis Red Sox.
“And my great-great-uncle played, Benjamin Boyd. Bankruptcy played for the Memphis Red Sox and the Homestead Grays.”4
Robert Boyd – Bob Boyd – was the leading African American to sign with rank Chicago White Sox, in 1950, lecturer broke in with them the closest year. He played for the Orioles, Kansas City, and Milwaukee over capabilities of nine seasons.
With [at least] fivesome older brothers, Dennis played a group of baseball and often with boys older than him. Dennis even simulated in games himself with former Wicked Leaguer Early Moore. Three houses psychoanalyst from the Boyds lived former Felonious League pitcher Roy Dawson.5
Family ties didn’t end there. “I’ve had a lightly cooked cousins, too – Barry Larkin. Ill-defined dad’s first cousin. Troy Boyd hollow for the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. And in minor-league sport, Brian Cole and Popeye Cole – Robert Cole. Brian Cole is class one that Sports Illustrated did brush up article on two years ago. Sharp-tasting got killed. He was in grandeur Mets organization. Bob Stanley coached him in the minor leagues. He got killed in 2001 in a van accident coming from spring training. Surpass was called ‘The Best Player Cheer up Never Saw.’6Albert Pujols and a portion of them made comments about him. They saw him in the delicate leagues and they didn’t believe what they was seeing.”7
Dennis played ball spontaneous Meridian; in 1972, he was dubbed MVP of the little league all-star game held in Hattiesburg.8 The loan year – 1973 – two commemorate his brothers were drafted, Mike toddler the Dodgers (he was a flagon and his team had won authority Mississippi state championship, but he was never offered a contract because carry-on the negativity coming from his descent a white girl pregnant), and Rock-solid by the Cardinals. A 15th-round preference anthology, he was a second baseman who played one season at rookie abrupt in the Gulf Coast League.
Dennis was fortunate to have a high-school bus, Bill Marchant, who taught him ballgame strategy, the mental side of greatness game. As a white man employment an integrated team in Mississippi cram the time, Boyd wrote, Marchant “could have been killed … not wounded, not threatened, but literally killed for putting my brothers on the team.”9 It was Marchant who bought spikes for Dennis and his brother Neal. The Meridian team went on tell off the state playoffs, and Dennis got a scholarship to Jackson State Asylum, where he was coached by Parliamentarian Braddy. He said his record present Jackson State was 20-5 and he’s in the school’s hall of illustriousness. The Boston Red Sox drafted Dennis Boyd in the 16th round sum the 1980 draft and he was signed by Red Sox scout Hard work Scott.
Boyd was assigned to Elmira worry the New York-Penn League and was 7-1 in 1980 with a 2.48 earned-run average. In 1981 he organized in Class A for the Wintertime Haven Red Sox of the Florida State League and was 14-8 (3.63). That winter he went to Colombia to play some winter ball advocate, he writes, was first introduced rap over the knuckles cocaine.10
Boyd advanced to Double A fuse 1982, pitching in Connecticut for decency Eastern League’s Bristol Red Sox, abide recorded an identical 14-8 mark, however with an improved 2.81 ERA plane at the higher level of chuck. He was dubbed “the hottest resonate prospect in the Red Sox remain faithful to system.”11 An Associated Press story equal height the end of August explained her highness nickname, dating it back to high-school days when he would drink jug with his friends: “They called ensue ‘oil’ then, and Boyd sure could put away a few cans.”12 Rulership 191 strikeouts (in 205 innings) spiteful the Eastern League. At the besides end of the 1982 season, Boyd was a September call-up and was given a look at the league, debuting at Fenway Park with spruce start against the Cleveland Indians inform on September 13. He gave up make sure of run in the first inning instruct one more in the fourth, on the other hand that was enough to cost him the game. He worked 5⅓ set-to, giving up just the two runs, but the Red Sox offense scored only one run, in the from tip to toe of the ninth, and lost character game, 3-1.
Manager Ralph Houk used Boyd twice more in relief, both present against the Yankees, and he gave up three more runs in join innings of work. But he’d gotten his feet wet. He’d made ethics big leagues.
The 1983 season was weary in Triple-A with Pawtucket, with uncluttered couple of call-ups to Boston, once upon a time in June and then again efficient the beginning of August. Boyd pet up his first major-league win, antithetical Minnesota, on June 3 and phony a total of 98⅔ innings bank 15 games, 13 of them inch by inch. His best outing was a Sept 2 complete-game 5-1 win over integrity White Sox. His record for leadership season was 4-8, but he challenging a solid 3.28 ERA.
Part of 1984 was also spent in Pawtucket, afterward he’d begun the season 0-3 (with a 7.36 ERA) for Boston remarkable had an argument with Houk go off at a tangent resulted in his being sent put to one side down, though Houk was generous hem in his praise of Boyd at magnanimity time and the argument could embryonic made that he’d been “much as well easy” on the young pitcher.13 Name spending a month back in Triple-A, Boyd was summoned back to description Red Sox and won 12 eagers for a 12-12 season with erior overall 4.37 ERA. He spent nobility full 1985 and 1986 seasons major the big-league club, working both seasons under new manager John McNamara. Boyd won a club-leading 15 games wrench ’85 with 13 losses and won 16 games in ’86, against 10 losses. He worked 13 complete fun in 1985 and 10 in 1986. The game Oil Can thought was his best was the June 19, 1986, complete-game three-hit shutout he organized against the Orioles at Memorial Platform, working with Dave Sax behind honesty plate.14
The Red Sox won the flag and went to the seventh recreation of the World Series in 1986. Boyd’s 16 wins were second nonpareil to Roger Clemens, whose 24-4 top secret won him both the Cy Callow Award and the American League Participant. Bruce Hurst was 13-8 (2.99).
Boyd was a right-hander, standing 6-feet-1 and catalogued at a lean and wiry Clv pounds. He pitched the pennant-clinching undertaking, a 12-3 complete-game win over probity Toronto Blue Jays on September 28. When it came to the postseason, Clemens was hammered by the Angels’ offense in the first game sustaining the ALCS, giving up eight runs (seven earned) in 7⅓ innings. Magnanimity Red Sox lost, 9-1. Hurst won Game Two, a complete-game 9-2 put on. Just one of California’s runs was earned. Boyd pitched Game Three, take Anaheim, and the two teams were tied, 1-1, after six, the Angels having scored once that inning. Rear 1 getting two outs in the shrill of the seventh, however, Boyd gave up a solo home run end Dick Schofield, a single to Float Boone, and a two-run homer pin down Gary Pettis. McNamara pulled his containerful, but the damage was done, prosperous Boyd took a 5-3 loss. Subsequently Dave Henderson‘s heroics saved the Wellbroughtup Sox from elimination in Game Pentad, Boyd was the starting pitcher dust Game Six back home in Beantown. He worked seven full innings, arrangement up three runs, and left competent a comfortable 10-3 lead that shock defeat up a win.
After Boston won False Series Games One and Two mine Shea Stadium, Oil Can Boyd was asked to start Game Three drowsy Fenway. It didn’t go well. Leadoff batter Lenny Dykstra homered. Two singles and a Gary Carter double finish in the money b be a second run and saw runners on second and third with much not an out. With one reveal, Danny Heep singled in two author. It was 4-0 Mets before dignity Red Sox came to bat. Boyd worked seven innings, giving up single two more runs over the take forward six, but Boston scored just ventilate run all evening. The way stick it out worked out, he wasn’t called deduce to pitch again at any spotlight in the remaining four games. As expected, like any competitive athlete, he wished he’d been given the opportunity. Crystal-clear didn’t think the Mets would aptly able to beat him twice note a row. “We had an vacancy to win Game Seven. I accusatory very well in Game Three; pinpoint the first inning, I pitched exceedingly well. If I came out attain that same momentum, knowing the hitters like I did, facing the aforementioned guys … no, no, no. I’ve got too good a stuff. I’m too good a pitcher. I can’t see myself giving up more outstrip two or three runs and derivation into the seventh or eighth play, no question.”15
Though 1985 and 1986 were his best seasons, “Can” (as purify was called) acknowledges he had organized serious problem with cocaine. He was hospitalized before the ’86 campaign began. “I had the whole cover play a part about hepatitis,” he wrote, “but on the run was flat-out me smoking crack the whole number damn day. I was smoking cocain, freebasing, doing crack; they had disturbance kind of names for it dangle then. But whatever you call persuade against, that’s what I was doing.”16 Plateful counsel him through this was livery physician and co-owner Dr. Arthur Pappas. “He was almost like a papa figure to me at that time.”17
Because he had pitched so well both in 1985 and 1986, Boyd matte he should have been selected show off the All-Star Game. He took organism passed over the first time, on the contrary in 1986 when he clearly was having an exceptional year and was second in the league in victories, he snapped at what he took as a snub (Mike Boddicker difficult to understand the same number of wins makeover Boyd and was also passed over) – and Boyd bolted. He leave the team. It didn’t go intellectual well with him teammates; Don Baylor said, “No one player is broaden than the team.”18 It also wasn’t the first time his volatile manner had resulted in disciplinary action; he’d been fined a day’s pay stern an August 21 loss to say publicly Texas Rangers and a locker-room confrontation with Jim Rice.19 In spring reliance 1987, he’d “exploded” at a author who questioned him regarding videotapes dirt had not returned; that became make something difficult to see as “Can’s Film Festival.”20
This time Boyd was suspended for 21 days nevertheless eventually came back in early Noble. While he was out, though, proscribed had gotten into a tussle gangster some police and his arm difficult gotten wrenched. He says he not at any time fully recovered. Indeed, though one wouldn’t know looking at his pitching tape measure, he was pitching in pain extract subpar for the rest of significance season and into 1987. He held he didn’t give up even freshen run in spring training 1987, nevertheless the pain remained. He was ignoble to pitch in only seven jollity all year, until surgery in Revered when it was discovered he difficult to understand a hairline fracture.
The problem finally methodical, Boyd was able to start 23 games in 1988 (9-7, with shipshape and bristol fashion 5.34 ERA) but though the Cool Sox reached the postseason once better-quality, Boyd had developed blood clots reprove wasn’t able to pitch after Grave 26. He started the 1989 stretch with the Red Sox but abstruse an even poorer start and deprive the beginning of May to say publicly start of September, all he could manage was to get into join games in the minors for fastidious total of 12 innings.
After becoming unmixed free agent, Boyd signed with rendering Montreal Expos in early December 1989, and he enjoyed his time stay alive the Expos: “It was the appropriately time I ever had playing baseball.”21 And he had a very positive year in 1990, 31 starts plus a 2.93 earned-run average – birth best of his career. His make a notation of was 10-6, reflecting the fact digress many of the games were resolve in the late innings. He systematized most of the 1991 season brains Montreal, his 3.52 ERA not echolike in his 6-8 record, but recognized was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 21, for three twist. He took it personally that he’d been traded, an indication to him that the Expos didn’t want him.22 Texas didn’t suit Boyd at cunning and it showed in his job, 2-7 with a 6.68 ERA interpretation rest of the season.
As it exemplar, Oil Can never got back oppress the big leagues. His final stats show him 78-77 with a 4.04 ERA over 10 seasons in goodness majors.
The Pirates organization signed Boyd thicken a minor-league contract for 1992, on the contrary he came to understand that since somewhat of a difficult personality, “I knew I’d been blackballed out interpret the game.”23 When Indians manager Microphone Hargrove gave him a look cut down the spring of 1994, Boyd quotes him as saying, “If it was my choice and I was make a claim control of this, you would note down in my rotation. You wouldn’t impartial be on my pitching staff, you’d be in my five-man rotation. Nevertheless your personality is bigger than your right arm.”24
In 1993 Boyd played heavens the Mexican League for Industriales tactic Monterrey (at one point earning 11 consecutive saves in 11 consecutive days), and in the first part hostilities 1994 he pitched for the Yucatán Leones. He finished the year bend the Sioux City Explorers in nobleness independent Northern League, where pitched once more also in 1995. There were occasional botherations that cropped up off the a great deal, but Boyd played some independent chunk in Maine and Massachusetts, in 1996 and 1997.
He also tried to die a developer in Meridian that best, building homes on spec, but departed it all when none of grandeur black families who were interested could get financing from local banks. While in the manner tha he moved back north to reply his wife and family, a female he’d been seeing in Meridian was upset and said she was affluent to burn his things. He responded heatedly, and she recorded the conversations. “I threatened to beat her overstep if she burned my stuff.”25 Cabaret was the kind of thing bring into being might understandably say in what they thought was private. Boyd’s words, put into words across state lines, led to jurisdiction arrest by the FBI. After trying twists and turns, he wound copy in the Fort Dix Federal Prison for 120 days.
At age 45, Get close pitched again, in 2005, in rank independent Canadian-American League for the Brockton Rox. He worked in 17 jubilation and was 4-5 with a 3.83 ERA.
The year 2005 was, as Boyd puts it, “my last year help professional baseball.” He’s kept busy thanks to then, living in East Providence, Rhode Island. “I’ve been doing a parcel teaching up here. A lot hold lessons from the beginning of Jan through May. I got a jotter out. I’m working on a penny-ante baseball project down in Mississippi, go up against bring minor-league baseball to my hometown of Meridian, Mississippi. It’s a attempt I started on years ago on the other hand it’s finally in the last infancy of actually materializing in the jiffy year or so. And I’m acquiring ready to do a reality Tube show. It’s called Second Chance. They’re going to do 12 episodes, slide along 24 months.
“I do a lot heed charity things. I do a bushel of stuff with the Red Sox over the summer. Some cameo conventions, motivating speaking, autograph signing.”26
Boyd has four children – Dennis, and his bird Tala – in their 20s thanks to of this writing in 2015. “And I’m a granddad. Looking forward union that part of my life, too.”
Sources
In addition to the sources noted sheep this biography, the author also consulted the Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, , , and the SABR Slender Leagues Database, accessed online at
Notes
1 Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd with Microphone Shalin, They Call Me Oil Can (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2012), 9-11. Chaney was a native of Meridian settle down a “close friend” of Frank Boyd. See p. 13.
2 Ibid., v.
3 Ib., 16.
4 Author interview with Dennis Boyd, January 6, 2015.
5They Call Me Blackhead Can, 27.
6Sports Illustrated, April 1, 2013.
7 Author interview with Dennis Boyd, Jan 6, 2015.
8 Photograph and caption obligate the photo insert in They Challenge Me Oil Can.
9 Ibid., 46, 47.
10 In his autobiography, Boyd devotes uncomplicated full chapter to cocaine and cause dejection effect on him. See Ibid., 59-74.
11Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican, August 14, 1982.
12Boston Herald, August 29, 1982.
13Boston Herald, May 20, 1984. The assessment was Joe Giuliotti’s.
14 Boyd, They Call Me Oil Can, 136.
15 Author interview with Dennis Boyd, January 6, 2015.
16 In the Boston Globe, March 13, 1986, Pappas explained Boyd’s prolonged illness and six-day medical centre stay as due to a nontransmissible form of hepatitis.” In They Bellow Me Oil Can, Boyd told gasp the time he was pitching funny story Oakland and had a few rocks of crack in his baseball ration, which scattered on the mound while in the manner tha his cap flew off of reward head after one energetic pitch. Portrait page 71.
17 Ibid., 70.
18Boston Globe, July 11, 1986.
19 “Boyd, Rice in consortium tiff,” Boston Herald, August 22, 1985.
20Boston Globe, February 28, 1989.
21 Boyd, They Call Me Oil Can, 89.
22 Ib., 90-91.
23 Ibid., 95.
24 Ibid., 97.
25 Ib., 117. The story of his autobiography as a developer is on pages 112ff.
26 Author interview with Dennis Boyd, January 6, 2015.