His unique and memorable nickname has been reported as coming from his beer-drinking days in his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, where beer was referred to as "oil."
Major league career
1982-89: Boston Red Sox
Boyd attended Meridian High School then Jackson State University. He was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round of the 1980 amateur draft, and made his debut in the 1982 season. A lanky frame at 6-foot-2, and weighing only 150 pounds, Boyd pitched 10 years in the majors before blood clots in his right arm ended his career. From 1983–85 Boyd won 31 games for Boston, with 15 victories in. By the All-Star break in 1985, Boyd's record was 10-5 with a 3.19 ERA. By the end of that season, he posted career-highs in games started, complete games, strikeouts and innings pitched. Boyd was the recipient of the 1985 Boston Red SoxPitcher of the Year Award as selected by the Boston Baseball Writers Association. In 1986, he won a career-high 16 games for the Sox. Boyd's record at the All-Star break was 11-6 with a 3.71 ERA. During the 1986 American League Championship Series, Boyd started two games against the California Angels, winning Game Six. Boyd started Game Three of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets. In 1987, Boyd would allege an encounter with police in which he suffered a hairline fracture to his pitching arm requiring surgery in August of that year. This limited him to 7 games and a win/loss record of 1-3 for his shortened season. Boyd's injuries contributed to a decline in games started and his win/loss records over his final two seasons with the Red Sox, 1988 and 1989, were 9-7 and 3-2 respectively.
1990–1991: Montreal Expos
Boyd signed with the Expos as a free agent after the season and in he won 10 games for the Expos and compiled a 2.93 ERA. When the Rangers acquired him from Montreal during the 1991 season, 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 great, it was good enough for the pitching-poor Rangers; however, in 12 starts he posted a 2-7 record with a 6.68 ERA 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.
1992–2007: Later Career
After MLB, Boyd played in Mexico for the Industriales of Monterrey and the Yucatan Leones in 1993 and 1994 respectively. In 2005, Boyd came out of retirement at 45 years old to pitch for the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League. He pitched in 17 games going 4 wins and 5 losses and a 3.83 ERA over 110 innings for the season. Boyd followed this with a 2007 barnstorming tour in the spirit of the Negro Leagues under the team name of "Oil Can Boyd's Traveling All-Stars."
Legacy
Boyd's issues, temperamental personality, and admitted drug use during his career have been well-documented. On May 11, 1986, prior to a game in Oakland, Boyd smoked crack before taking the mound. In 2012, Boyd told Buster Olney of ESPN "I get to the ballpark, all the ballplayers are on the field, you know, taking batting practice and everything. And I walk in the clubhouse and I—I got my pipe with me... I can remember going and locking myself up in the bathroom and smoking some dope right there at the ballpark." Boyd was the cover story of the August 4, 1986 issue of Sports Illustrated. The article was titled "Banned in Boston." Boyd's troubles in 1986 would climax during the seventh and deciding game of the 1986 World Series when he was unable to appear. Red Sox manager John McNamara and Red Sox pitching coach Bill Fischer later alleged that Boyd had been drinking and was too drunk to pitch during the game. During 1987 spring training in Winter Haven, Florida, Boyd would be detained by police due to an issue concerning overdue video cassettes. When the list of titles made public turned out to contain pornographic titles, a Boston area newspaper printed the names and sarcastically dubbed the incident "The Can's Film Festival." Boyd was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic ConferenceHall of Fame in 2010. In 2012, Boyd's autobiography, co-written by Boyd and Mike Shalin, They call me Oil Can: Baseball, Drugs, and Life on the Edge was published by Triumph Books. In the book, Boyd further admitted to extensive use of cocaine and crack while he was playing in the Major Leagues and said he was often under the influence of drugs while pitching. Boyd's intense charisma during Red Sox games specifically was evidenced by fist pumps, shouting from the dugout, and high-fives for teammates. He was also a go-to player for quotes in the Boston press. Among his most well-known quote is in reference to a postponed at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium due to fog from Lake Erie. When asked about the situation, Boyd responded “That’s what you get for building a ballpark on the ocean.”
Personal life
Boyd has numerous relatives who played professional baseball. Two of Boyd's uncles, K.T. Boyd, who played Kansas City Monarchs; and Robert Boyd who played for the Kansas City Athletics and the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro Leagues. Boyd's great-great-uncle Benjamin Boyd played for Memphis Red Sox and the Homestead Grays. Boyd is also related to baseball player Barry Larkin, who is Boyd's father's first cousin. In November 2005, Boyd surrendered to F.B.I. agents in Tupelo, Mississippi for alleged threats made against a former girlfriend and business associate and her son.
