In his first two starts of 2021, Detroit Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd nearly knocked off both the first- and second-place finishers in last year's American League Cy Young race.
Boyd dethroned Cleveland ace Shane Bieber — the unanimous Cy Yong winner in 2020 — on Opening Day, leading the Tigers to a 3-2 victory.
Six days later, Boyd outlasted — and arguably out pitched — Minnesota Twins top starter Kenta Maeda, who finished second in the 2020 voting. But the Tigers came up short on gambles in the sixth inning, twice getting thrown out at home plate, and lost 3-2 in the series finale.