Major League Baseball
Detroit Tigers' Spencer Turnbull talks no-hitter, Miggy's 500th, more on 'Flippin' Bats'
Major League Baseball

Detroit Tigers' Spencer Turnbull talks no-hitter, Miggy's 500th, more on 'Flippin' Bats'

Published Aug. 25, 2021 12:29 a.m. ET

It's not often that a player experiences a once-in-a-lifetime season along with a season-ending injury, but that just might be the case with Spencer Turnbull.

The Detroit Tigers' starting pitcher has not pitched since June 4 due to a UCL injury in his right elbow, which required Tommy John surgery, but he has still been part of a special season in Detroit, as he discussed with Ben Verlander on this week's episode of "Flippin' Bats."

The Tigers currently stand at 60-66 on the season, good for third place in the AL Central. But upon digging deeper, there are signs of an improving club after consecutive last place finishes in 2019 and 2020.

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Turnbull attributes much of the upward trajectory to manager AJ Hinch, who is in his first year overseeing the Tigers.

"I give him a lot of credit, honestly," Turnbull said. "I think he deserves as much credit as you can give a manager for the team doing well.

"I think he just brings a different mindset and a different expectation on how to get things done. He just raises the standard on what he expects. It's hard to put it into words exactly, but it's that winning mindset of, 'This is what it takes to win, and if you can't do it, I'll get somebody else who can.'"

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Spencer Turnbull on A.J. Hinch's positive impact on the Tigers

Detroit Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull joined Ben Verlander on "Flippin' Bats." Hear Turnbull discuss Tigers manager AJ Hinch's impact on the team this season.

Hinch was the manager of a similar rebuilding project with the Houston Astros, who were 70-92 in 2014 before he was hired in 2015. By 2017, Hinch had won a World Series with the franchise and led them to another World Series appearance in 2019, as well as an ALCS appearance in 2018.

Hinch's winning mindset has rubbed off on the Tigers. They are trending in the right direction and, as Turnbull explained, feeling good about their prospects for the future.

"I definitely feel it. I think the fans can feel it, too," he said.

"There is much more excitement. There's much more expectations and anticipation, and they're winning. I think winning helps out with a lot of things."

For more up-to-date news on all things MLB, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Spencer Turnbull describes being a part of the Tigers' rebuild

Hear Spencer Turnbull discuss what it has been like to be part of a Tigers franchise that appears to be rounding the corner to get back into playoff contention.

Just as winning brings excitement, so does history being made.

Two major milestones have happened in Detroit this season, one of which was future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera hitting his 500th career home run, joining a group of only 27 other MLB players to accomplish the feat.

Being able to witness the greatness of Cabrera in person is not something Turnbull has taken for granted.

"To be able to be teammates with somebody who has accomplished so many great things is pretty cool," he said. "His whole career, his talent level has been head and shoulders above everybody else. So that's awesome just being able to be around someone like that."

Spencer Turnbull details his time as Miguel Cabrera's teammate

Spencer Turnbull details what it's like to be Miguel Cabrera's teammate and how it felt to watch Miggy hit his 500th career home run.

While Cabrera's 500th homer might end up as the highlight of the Tigers' season, Turnbull recorded a major accomplishment of his own before being sidelined.

On May 18, he threw the first no-hitter for the Tigers in 10 years.

The moment was one of the best of Turnbull's life, he said, and it came in a game in which he didn't expect to pitch well.

"Getting closer to game time, I started to feel a little nervous," he said. "My body didn't feel that great. I was trying to get through warm-ups, and I just didn't feel all that connected to my body.

"I get out there in the first inning and didn't feel great with my stuff, but my four-seamer felt like it had a little bit more on it than I thought it would, and [I] just kind of pitched with that. 

"I end up throwing a no-hitter. It's kind of crazy."

Spencer Turnbull walks through the no-hitter he threw in 2021

Detroit Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull joined Ben Verlander on "Flippin' Bats." Hear him describe the no-hitter he threw earlier in the 2021 season.

Watch Ben Verlander's full interview with Spencer Turnbull below:

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.

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