Published Apr 13, 2020
Catching Up With Former Beaver Baseball Standout Matt Boyd
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Brenden Slaughter  •  BeaversEdge
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Former Oregon State and current Detroit Tigers pitcher Matt Boyd met with the media via zoom to talk about 'Kingdome Home', a nonprofit organization he and his wife Ashley created in Uganda, his life with the Tigers, how he's been handling the COVID-19 pandemic, and more...

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Q: Talk about the nonprofit organization that you and your wife Ashley started in Uganda

Matt Boyd: "I met my wife Ashley at Oregon State, and she's always had a passion for social justice. Out of college, she started working called Remember Nhu. Their goal is to end child sex trafficking through prevention. After she worked there for a few years remotely while I was getting started in the minors, we decided we wanted to start our own non-profit called 'Kingdom Home'.

We started in 2018, and our vision is similar to Remember Nhu to end child sex trafficking through prevention. We started with 36 girls in one home and now we've grown to 156 children in over four homes. The majority of the children are in the prevention category, but there's still a handful that were rescued from the sex trade.

Basically, these children that live in these homes are now a part of a family whereas before they didn't have one. They have brothers and sisters, three meals a day, education, and when the time comes Kingdom Home will pay for vocational training. It's all for the lord and both Ashley and I had a calling and when the opportunity came to start our own nonprofit, there was no question.

Q: Talk about how Kingdom Home has changed your life and what was it like going to Uganda? 

MB: "It's changed our lives in so many ways. We had a calling in our heart, and the real tragedy would have been acting on it. Things have been shut down in Uganda with the Coronavirus, but our group is in a pretty rural area that is very far from things like markets.

Thanks to the people on the ground, they were able to get the means for what they needed for the coming weeks. All the children are healthy and they have what they need for the next couple of weeks. We've started a COVID-19 emergency fund for them on our website and all those proceeds will be used to help keep them supplied.

You have your eyes opened when you visit a third-world country. Seeing different parts of the world and then traveling through Uganda and seeing life as a Ugandan is very eye-opening."

Q: How are you staying busy and have you heard a timeline for when MLB will return? 

MB: "I'm the Tigers' players rep, so we're in constant communication with the union and the league. There's been a lot of discussions, but both parties want the same thing and that's to play as soon as possible.

They're kicking around a lot of ideas like Arizona & Florida, but there's nothing concrete. Nothing has been formally presented to us, but when it does, we'll vote on it as a players union. We're hoping to get things rolling sooner than later, but we also don't want to take away from resources or manpower from those who need it.

In terms of how I'm staying ready, luckily, I was able to gather strength and conditioning equipment and have built a temporary weight room in my basement. I'm able to do just about everything workout wise I need down there and then I'm able to go out and throw a bullpen a week with one of my catchers that's local here in Detroit."

Q: What are some of your best memories from your time at Oregon State? 

MB: "I'll always remember my first hit as a pinch-hitter against Hawaii and several others, but you can't top the memories that we had in our senior year in 2013. The Super Regional series against Kansas State that year is something I'll never forget, the fans were so loud and electric.

We lost game one, but then we came back on Sunday and punched them right in the face right out of the chute. (Michael) Conforto and (Dylan) Davis hit back-to-back home runs and then we really made a statement from thereon. The next game, 'Benny' (Ben Wetzler) went out there and gave us everything he had before I came in to close it and I have goosebumps just thinking about it.

We're all still so close, and there are about nine guys that I still talk to on a weekly basis. It was a really special season and such a close-knit group. Oregon State is a family and that's exactly what we had."

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Q: Talk a little about your experiences with 'Mr. Tiger' Al Kaline

MB: "We were so fortunate to have someone like Mr. Kaline in the clubhouse every day. He was the third person to greet me when I was traded and I remember being like wow I just met Mr. Tiger.

I soon came to learn that Mr. Kaline was there every day and we developed a great bond over the years. He knew so much about the game, life, experiences and he taught me so much. Even at his age, he was asking us about pitch sequences and wanted to dive into the deep specifics. He understood every nuance of the game that's why he's one of the greatest outfielders of all time.

There's definitely going to be a void without him this season. One of the last memories I had with him was not too long ago when a couple of other rotation guys and I were in the training room and he came in and said 'Your team is out on the field and y'all are in the training room right now? You pitchers never change.' He was just giving us a hard time even just a month ago when his health was deteriorating. It's going to be a void without him and he's in a better place. He is what it was to be a Tiger, a gentleman, and a class act."

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