On this day in 1978, Thomas Derrick Turnbow was born in Union City, Tennessee. The Phillies selected him in the fifth round (146th overall pick) of the 1997 draft, but before he reached the majors the Angels took him in the 2000 Rule 5 draft.
Turnbow had been a big leaguer for parts of three seasons but had appeared in just 39 major league games when the Brewers selected him off waivers before the 2005 season and nearly immediately installed him as their closer. Turnbow converted his first save opportunity (a four out save) on April 24, 2005, and went on to collect 38 more along with seven wins that season.
Turnbow's 39 saves that year tied Dan Kolb's franchise record and made him an immediate sensation in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, things could only go down from there. After posting a 1.74 ERA in his breakout season, Turnbow ballooned to 6.13 over his final 149 appearances as a Brewer. He was an All Star in 2006 but his career is more often remembered as a cautionary tale on how fast relievers can fall off.
Turnbow turns 34 today. With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to:
- Wisconsin Timber Rattler Eric Arnett, who turns 24.
- 1986-89 Brewer Juan Castillo, who turns 50.