DETROIT, MI – APRIL 28: Matthew Boyd #48 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Comerica Park on April 28, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Among Major League pitchers who have thrown at least 110 innings this season, only six entered Sunday with a worse ERA than Matt Boyd’s 5.75. The Tigers lefty had also allowed 11.4 hits per nine innings, second worst among all AL pitchers with at least 110 innings pitched. By any measure, he had been somewhere between well below-average and outright awful.

So naturally, Boyd blanked the White Sox for 8 2/3 inning Sunday, coming one out away from a no-hitter before Tim Anderson spoiled the fun with a double to right field.

Though Boyd failed to become the first lefty in Tigers franchise history to hurl a no-no, his afternoon was still pretty incredible. He wound up with his first complete game, having allowed only two baserunners while striking out five men. For a guy who was demoted to the minors in May and sent to the bullpen in August, it was an out-of-nowhere, remarkable performance.

As we’ve seen before (shoutout to Dallas Braden and Phil Humber) no-hitters or near-no-hitters do not promise future stardom. Boyd is still a 26-year-old fringe Major-Leaguer with a career ERA over 5.50. But he’ll always have Sunday, when he was so, so close to being unhittable.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.