Spencer Turnbull’s Return to Comerica Park: A Tale of Drama and Redemption
Former Detroit Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull returns to Comerica Park tonight with the Philadelphia Phillies, preparing to face his old team. Turnbull, now a reliever for the Phillies, reflected on his complex history with the Tigers, including last season’s tumultuous chapter.
Facing the Tigers Again
“Zero emotions, whatsoever,” Turnbull quipped about facing the Tigers again, yet he acknowledged the game would feel different. “I’m excited,” he said. “I’ll try not to put too much pressure on one game or whatever. I don’t want to give much credit to a revenge tour or whatever. I’m sure I’ll have some extra emotions and adrenaline. I’ll try to have fun doing it, but I’ll try to block out the noise. It’ll feel different.”
Spencer Turnbull Reflects on a Tumultuous 2023
Spencer Turnbull, who boasts a 2.63 ERA with 18 walks and 56 strikeouts in 51⅓ innings this season, was non-tendered by the Tigers in November following a contentious 2023. “There was a lot of drama … but it wasn’t my choice for things to go down that way,” he said. “Last year was really hard, really tough, not a lot of fun. It wasn’t how I would have liked things to end here in Detroit, but it wasn’t my choice for things to go down that way. It was just kind of how it happened.”
The drama involved Turnbull’s performance, injuries, and disagreements over his MLB service time and roster status. Turnbull, who pitched a no-hitter with the Tigers in 2021, said he wouldn’t change anything despite the rough exit. “There’s a lot of things that were out of my hands, out of my control,” Turnbull said. “I didn’t really have a lot of say in a lot of stuff that went down last year. All the drama or whatever it was, all the negative press and things like that, nobody knows the real story. No one knows really what happened, but it was definitely not the spin that was maybe told about me, but I try not to really worry about it. It is what it is. I don’t care too much about how that was framed.”
Thriving in Philadelphia
Now thriving in Philadelphia, Turnbull is married and expecting a child. His career has taken a positive turn with his new team, contributing to their strong start this season. “I’m really happy … I got a little one on the way,” he shared. “We love Philly. I got married in the offseason, and now I got a little one on the way, coming late November, so hopefully right after we get some new hardware. Get a ring, and then have a baby a few weeks later. It’ll be pretty awesome.”