Oil Can Boyd
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1982-1991)
Oil Can Boyd was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1991 for the Boston Red Sox, the Montreal Expos, and the Texas Rangers, a span of 10 seasons. Across 214 career appearances, he went 78-77 with a 4.04 ERA and 799 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 155 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1982-09-13
- Last Game
- 1991-10-01
Full name: Dennis Ray Boyd
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | BOS | AL | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5.40 | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | BOS | AL | 4 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 98.2 | 103 | 36 | 23 | 43 | 3.28 | 3.87 (+15%) | 184.7 |
| 1984 | BOS | AL | 12 | 12 | 29 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 197.2 | 207 | 96 | 53 | 134 | 4.37 | 3.81 (-15%) | 2032.5 |
| 1985 | BOS | AL | 15 | 13 | 35 | 35 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 272.1 | 273 | 112 | 67 | 154 | 3.70 | 3.89 (+5%) | 2278.2 |
| 1986 | BOS | AL | 16 | 10 | 30 | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 214.1 | 222 | 90 | 45 | 129 | 3.78 | 3.97 (+5%) | -1037.1 |
| 1987 | BOS | AL | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36.2 | 47 | 24 | 9 | 12 | 5.89 | 4.29 (-37%) | -871.1 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | 9 | 7 | 23 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 129.2 | 147 | 77 | 41 | 71 | 5.34 | 3.73 (-43%) | -4672.9 |
| 1989 | BOS | AL | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59.0 | 57 | 29 | 19 | 26 | 4.42 | 3.71 (-19%) | -1327.5 |
| 1990 | MON | NL | 10 | 6 | 31 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 190.2 | 164 | 62 | 52 | 113 | 2.93 | 3.86 (+24%) | 383.7 |
| 1991 | MON | NL | 6 | 8 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120.1 | 115 | 47 | 40 | 82 | 3.52 | 3.91 (+10%) | 1383.7 |
| 1991 | TEX | AL | 2 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62.0 | 81 | 46 | 17 | 33 | 6.68 | 3.91 (-71%) | -1889.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 78 | 77 | 214 | 207 | 43 | 10 | 0 | 1,389.2 | 1,427 | 624 | 368 | 799 | 4.04 | — | -3,535 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 214 | 95 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 39 | .063 | .092 | .063 | .155 | -788 |
Career AVG .063 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 75.5% below league average.
Career OBP .092 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 71.6% below league average.
Career SLG .063 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 83.8% below league average.
Career OPS .155 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 78.2% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | BOS | AL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | BOS | AL | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | BOS | AL | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | BOS | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | BOS | AL | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | BOS | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | BOS | AL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | MON | NL | 31 | 59 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | .051 | .257 (-80%) | .324 (-84%) | .385 (-87%) | .710 (-86%) | -787.8 |
| 1991 | MON | NL | 19 | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 19 | .083 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1991 | TEX | AL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 214 | 95 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 39 | .063 | — | — | — | — | -788 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (428 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 109 | 46 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .087 |
| Away | 105 | 49 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .041 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 109 | 735.2 | 773 | 314 | 185 | 437 | 3.84 |
| Away | 105 | 654.0 | 654 | 310 | 183 | 362 | 4.27 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-10-01 | TEX | SEA | L | 2.2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1991-09-26 | TEX | OAK | L | 4.2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1991-09-20 | TEX | MIN | — | 5.0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991-09-14 | TEX | MIN | W | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1991-09-09 | TEX | LAA | L | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 1991-09-02 | TEX | NYY | W | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991-08-20 | TEX | BAL | — | 5.0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 1991-08-15 | TEX | BAL | L | 7.0 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1991-08-10 | TEX | MIL | L | 6.1 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1991-08-04 | TEX | MIL | — | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | BOS | P | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | BOS | P | 15 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1984 | BOS | P | 29 | 26 | 20 | 31 | 2 | 3 |
| 1985 | BOS | P | 35 | 35 | 42 | 41 | 1 | 2 |
| 1986 | BOS | P | 30 | 30 | 24 | 27 | 2 | 4 |
| 1987 | BOS | P | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | BOS | P | 23 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | BOS | P | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990 | MON | P | 31 | 31 | 7 | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| 1991 | MON | P | 19 | 19 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | TEX | P | 12 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 214 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | MON | NL | $1,500,000 |
| 1990 | MON | NL | $400,000 |
| 1989 | BOS | AL | $550,000 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | $550,000 |
| 1987 | BOS | AL | $550,000 |
| 1986 | BOS | AL | $375,000 |
| 1985 | BOS | AL | $177,500 |
| Total Career Earnings | $4,102,500 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson State University | Jackson | MS | 1978, 1979, 1980 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Oil Can Boyd (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Oil Can Boyd: the record in brief
September 13, 1982 and October 1, 1991 bracket Oil Can Boyd's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Boyd played for the Boston Red Sox (1982 to 1989), the Montreal Expos (1990 to 1991), and the Texas Rangers (1991). Boyd played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on October 6, 1959, in Meridian, MS, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-1 and 155 pounds. Boyd's full given name, per the bio, is Dennis Ray Boyd.
The pitching table credits Boyd with a 78-77 record and a 4.04 ERA in 214 games. The same table counts 799 strikeouts, 43 complete games, and 10 shutouts. Boyd's 4.04 ERA was close to the 3.89 league figure for those seasons. 1986 brought Boyd a season-high 16 wins. 1985 produced Boyd's most strikeouts, 154. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.93 in 1990, when the league's was 3.86.
Frequently Asked Questions about Oil Can Boyd
- What years did Oil Can Boyd play?
- Oil Can Boyd played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1991.
- Was Oil Can Boyd a pitcher?
- Yes. Oil Can Boyd pitched in the major leagues, recording 78 wins and 799 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Oil Can Boyd hit?
- Oil Can Boyd hit 0 career home runs with 6 hits.
- What was Oil Can Boyd's career batting average?
- Oil Can Boyd batted .063 over his career, with 6 hits in 95 at bats.
- How many RBI did Oil Can Boyd have?
- Oil Can Boyd drove in 2 runs in his career.
- What was Oil Can Boyd's career ERA?
- Oil Can Boyd finished with a 4.04 career ERA, going 78-77 with 799 strikeouts.