Matthew Boyd‘s impact on the 2025 Chicago Cubs cannot be overstated.

Sure, Pete Crow-Armstrong is firmly in the National League MVP race. And Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki have each been a major catalyst for one of the game’s best lineups.

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But it’s Boyd’s contributions that may rank as the most important to the team’s success this season.

In a year where Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon have all missed significant time with injury, it’s Boyd that has stepped up to serve as the ace of the staff.

Every successful outing seems to stack upon itself, picking up momentum like a boulder rolling down a hill. Boyd’s contributions have not only been valuable, but they’ve been necessary for a team that has badly needed stability in the rotation.

Where would the Cubs be this season without Boyd?

It’s a thought fans – and Cubs executives, coaches and players – would probably shudder to consider.

But they don’t have to worry about it. Because Boyd is on the North Side of Chicago, doing what he has always done.

Nine days in between starts?

No problem.

Pitching on a day after the Cubs gave up 12 runs and fell into second place for the first time since early April?

Ho hum.

Nothing seems to throw Boyd off his game right now.

Boyd went out and twirled a gem yet again, keeping the Kansas City Royals at bay Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. He permitted only four singles and a walk in seven shutout innings, playing stopper and getting his team back in the win column.

The 34-year-old lefty has now gone 23 straight innings without allowing a run, the longest active scoreless streak in the majors.

“Man, it’s a lot of fun,” he said with a smile after the game.

His manager agreed.

“Somehow, he’s just gotten better in this stretch,” Craig Counsell said. “He’s just overwhelming hitters. … It’s been fun to watch him pitch, man. It’s really pitching.”

Boyd is now 11-3 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.01 WHIP this season.

He has been even better at home, where he sports a 1.95 ERA with nine wins and eight quality starts in his 10 outings at the Friendly Confines.

Only six other Cubs all-time have posted a better ERA than Boyd in their first 10 starts at Wrigley Field: Dizzy Dean (0.92 ERA), Grover Alexander (0.97), Art Nehf (1.48), Mike Morgan (1.51), Larry Jackson (1.63) and Larry French (1.78).

Boyd was deserving of his first All-Star nod, but opted not to pitch in the Midsummer Classic last week and instead focused on resting up for the stretch run.

It was just more proof of how valuable he is to this team. And he knew he wouldn’t experience any rust after the extended layoff.

“[My confidence] is the same as it was last year,” he said. “Same as it was when I didn’t have a team. Just knowing what I’m going to do when the ball is in my hand. Nothing has changed. The results don’t change that. I come up and if I gave up 10 runs, the answer would be the same.

” … Regardless of who the opponent is or where that game is played, what I do doesn’t change. And what I expect of myself when the ball is in my hand. I’m not trying to dumbify it, but it’s as simple as that.”

There is still some question about how Boyd will hold up down the stretch – especially if the Cubs make an extended run into October.

He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 and pitched only 124 innings from 2022-24 combined.

After Tuesday’s outing, he is now at 118.2 innings on the season and the Cubs still have more than two months left in the regular season.

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But even those concerns are manufactured.

Does Boyd really look to anybody like a pitcher about to run into a wall? If anything, he has gotten stronger as this season has marched on.

And his teammates love him for everything he’s done – both on the mound and in the clubhouse.

“I think it’s really easy to talk about the on-field stuff with him,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “You can all see it. We’ve seen what he’s been able to do for us this year, but I think just the consistency of how he shows up every day.

“For him to just show up every day with the professionalism he does, with the work ethic that he has, the ability to talk to anybody and everybody, to help bring young guys along, continuing to help make [the veterans] as good as they can be, he just means a lot to this clubhouse. And I think that that’s something that people probably don’t see all that often. But, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having him around. Yeah, he’s the best.”