'A connection that lasts for life': Oil Can Boyd reunites with former Sox teammate at Polar

WORCESTER — Dennis “ Oil Can ” Boyd tossed out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the WooSox game at Polar Park Thursday night.

The former Red Sox pitcher also dished out a few compliments to his former teammate: current WooSox hitting coach Rich Gedman .

“I learned a lot from him. He learned a lot from me. But we learned the game of baseball together,” Boyd, 64, said. “We became very close personal friends because of our personalities.

“A southern kid from Mississippi and a northern kid from Worcester, Mass. made a connection that lasts for life. So it's very, very good, and I’m really proud of that, just that alone that I went so far and found a friend like him. So it's real cool.”

A former Red Sox and PawSox pitcher, Boyd won 16 games in 1986 to help the Boston Red Sox reach the World Series. A native of Meridian, Mississippi, Boyd went 78-77 in 214 major league games with the Red Sox (1982-89), Montreal Expos (1990-91) and Texas Rangers (1991). He even pitched professionally at age 45 in 2005 for the Independent League Brockton Rox.

As the right-handed pitcher held a baseball on the mound at the home of the WooSox Thursday, the man nicknamed “Oil Can” also grabbed a microphone and gave a brief speech to the announced crowd of 9,467.

Boyd acknowledged his family — nearly 30 of his close ones made the trip to Worcester — and then his former batterymate in Gedman.

“That makes me feel most special (more) than anything here. That man right there,” Boyd said. “So I’m at home right now, I’m at home.”

Boyd then fired a fastball right over the plate to Gedman, a Red Sox Hall of Famer and former Boston catcher from 1980 to 1990.

“We had a lot of nice memories on the baseball field together, so it’s kind of nice we get to share those because you don’t forget about those times,” Gedman, 64, said. “They bring you back to some really cool times in your career and gives you a chance to hang out and reminisce, and it’s kind of neat to have a good teammate like that.”

Before the Worcester Red Sox’ 9-1 loss to the Syracuse Mets on Independence Day, Chad Tracy was asked about his favorite birthday memory.

The WooSox manager turned 39 on Thursday.

“The (birthday) that is currently happening is the best one,” said Tracy, who spent many of his birthdays on the road with his father, Jim, who was a Major League manager and coach. “I’m alive. Here I am.”

During the middle of the second inning, the Polar Park videoboard showed a recording of Tracy’s two kids, Austin and Avery, singing happy birthday to their father before blowing some noisemakers.

“We love you, daddy,” Tracy’s daughter said.

“Happy birthday,” Tracy’s son said.

Sentiments that help a WooSox loss sting just little bit less.

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'A connection that lasts for life': Oil Can Boyd reunites with former Sox teammate at Polar