Madison Central is a large high school with a lot of baseball tradition. However, when you’re number three on the high school pitching team, you don’t probably expect to be there a few years later like Turnbull. That’s Turnbull, who was on the mound at Comerica park in Detroit as the Tigers played the Kansas City Royals in the Tigers’ home opener. The stadium was completely sold out. It was 38 degrees outside, and the chill factor was much lower when it was windy. You might be wondering how this Mississippi boy, a rookie, responded to the cold, wind, and opening day pressure. We are glad you asked. Turnbull, a right-hander who is known for his hard work, was able to strike out 10 batters in six innings, and only gave up two earned runs during the Tigers’ 5-4 win. Turnbull said that it was an amazing experience, and a true dream come true to him after the game. Turnbull said that it was “the coolest feeling in my life so far”. Those who know him well say that it was as much emotion and as much gushing as you will ever hear from him. Turnbull, 26, is a poker-faced man who can remain on his toes no matter what the situation. Turnbull was right back to normal three days later. He said that it was an honor to pitch in the home opener. However, he didn’t know if it was something he earned. “That’s the way the rotation fell. Still, it felt good. It was not my best fastball, but I had the breaking stuff working.” The Tigers won two more games on Sunday night and were now at 7-3. They are currently in first place in American League Central Division. The success has been led by the pitching staff. The Tigers’ pitchers have a combined 2.30 earned run average, and have fanned 99 batters over 90 innings. Turnbull stated, “It’s certainly a good start but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything yet.” Turnbull has struck out 15 batters in two starts and fanned 11 over 11 innings. This is a testament to the trust that Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire has in him, a former Jackson Mets infielder. Turnbull was unsure if he would be able to make it into the Tigers’ rotation when he went to spring training. Gardenhire talked about Turnbull’s power all spring and suggested that he might need to be added to the Tigers rotation. Turnbull would have been the sixth starter, but there were five Tigers starters. Five spots, six great starters, that’s the math problem solved itself when Michael Fulmer (three years ago Rookie of Year) suffered an elbow injury and had to have surgery. Turnbull was not new to the struggle for a spot in the rotation. This is a nod to his Madison Central days, when Gregg Perry was the coach of one of Mississippi’s most talented pitching teams. Laxer, the No. 1 would become the star of Ole Miss. Irwin, the No. Turnbull stated that Irwin, the No. 2 and a left-hander “probably had more talent then any of us.” Perry, who is now Germantown’s assistant athletic director and the golf coach, said, “We had an amazing group of pitchers. Spencer was not your typical No. That’s what Spencer was known for. This was Turnbull’s turn.” Truthfully, Turnbull was more known for his slugging skills and prowess at first-base than his mound work. Truth be told, Turnbull was a better student than he ever was a baseball player. Turnbull was actually awarded the scholarship for academic purposes and not the baseball scholarship. Although the Crimson Tide did not know if it was a pitcher or first baseman, they knew that they were receiving a scholar. It was a pleasant surprise to see Turnbull’s 88-mph fastball at Madison Central turn into a 95-mph fastball at Alabama. Turnbull was told by Alabama coaches that he would not need his bat anymore after just a few games of his first season. He has since improved his breaking pitches, added four-seam fastball, which acts as a cutter, and gained control of all except the change-up. Things are improving – way, way more. He makes just slightly more than the $545,000 per year minimum for big league pitchers. Turnbull’s pitching has been much better than the average starting pitcher, which is $5.2million. Turnbull stated that he hasn’t pinched his self. He said, “Not yet. I don’t want pinch myself because it does feel like I am living in a dream.”_x000D