NEW YORK — Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd was so efficient through eight scoreless innings Saturday against the Yankees that he had thrown only 85 pitches as he strode off the mound toward the visitors’ dugout.
Manager Craig Counsell, however, already had made the call to the bullpen for reliever Brad Keller to get warm. And after the Cubs’ 5-2 victory, Counsell said he hadn’t been tempted to let Boyd finish the game.
‘‘We’ve got to keep the big picture in mind here,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘He’s had a heck of a first half. He’s pitched so well. He’s thrown a ton of innings. And so we’ll get him fresh for the second half.’’
The Cubs went into the season knowing they would have to keep a close eye on Boyd’s reaction to a spike in workload in his first full season since he had Tommy John surgery in 2023. But it hasn’t been an issue so far, and he earned the first All-Star selection of his 11-year career.
Boyd ended the pre-All-Star portion of his season with a dominant performance against the best offense in the American League, holding the Yankees to four hits.
‘‘That’s an atypical outing against us,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the game. ‘‘Usually, if a guy’s shutting us down, there’s a lot of pitches. He was really efficient. So he was ahead in the count all day.’’
Boyd’s performance lowered his ERA to an impressive 2.34, the third-best among qualified National League pitchers, behind only the Pirates’ Paul Skenes (2.08) and the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler (2.17).
‘‘I’m a product of the people around me,’’ Boyd said, pointing to his catchers and the Cubs’ defense. ‘‘It’s been a lot of fun to be part of this ballclub, and I think we’re all getting better collectively.’’
After the Cubs wrap up the series Sunday, Boyd and his family will head to Atlanta. He won’t be active for the All-Star Game on Tuesday, but he plans to participate in the other festivities.
Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski (2.81 ERA) was named to replace Boyd on the NL team. Only five games and 25⅔ innings into his major-league career, he was a controversial pick, setting a record for the fewest games played by a player chosen for the All-Star Game.
‘‘It’s just a starter’s schedule,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘The All-Star Game is difficult for starters; it’s got to fall on the right day. When it doesn’t, it starts to affect what happens after the All-Star Game, and that was problematic for Matt.’’
Teams, especially those with playoff aspirations, often will use the All-Star break to manage some starters’ workloads. Lining up their starts at the back of the rotation coming out of the break optimizes the time off.
‘‘I hope there’s another chance to pitch in the All-Star Game,’’ Boyd said. ‘‘But the goal this year is to be fresh all the way through October.’’
Boyd already has pitched 111⅔ innings this season. He has a long injury history, and this is the first time he has surpassed 90 innings (including minor-league rehab games) since 2019.
‘‘He’s really found what works for him,’’ said catcher Carson Kelly, who has known Boyd since he was in college. ‘‘And I think he’s really coming into his own.’’
On Saturday, the Cubs gave Boyd a lead to work with from the get-go. Nico Hoerner led off the first inning with a triple and scored on a groundout by Kyle Tucker. The Cubs then rallied for three runs in the third before Kelly tacked on a solo home run in the eighth.
The Yankees scored their only runs on a two-run homer by Aaron Judge against Keller in the ninth. Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 350 career homers, achieving the feat in 1,088 games.