in MLB Articles

Oil Can seen here in his heyday

Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd made a triumphant comeback to baseball on Monday night. Boyd, now 45, took to the mound for the Brockton Rox of the independent Can-Am League. The Can was up to his old antics of talking to himself, being animated, etc… He went six solid innings, giving up only two earned runs. Boyd last pitched professionally in 1997- for another minor league team.

In his prime, Oil Can was a solid pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, helping them reach the 1986 World Series. However, his MLB career was cut short in 1991, as blood clots in his arm began to affect his pitching. Fast forward to 2005 and the veteran pitcher simply wants to show people he still has it and to quench the thirst for the game that’s been nagging him all of these years. Not only did he show up and compete well, but he’s in tremendous shape and could actually have a good season. The Can Am League’s caliber is similar to that of Double-A baseball.

Boyd even has a son who’s a high school pitcher. Nicknamed “Baby Can”, Dennis’ son is very proud of his father and thinks his comeback is an incredible feat. It remains to be seen whether or not a major league team will actually take interest in or sign the former big leaguer. But one thing’s for certain: the man is definitely a story to follow this summer and is worth the price of admission.