Education
Thurmond was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres out of Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University in the 24th round of the 1978 MLB Draft, but he chose not to sign.
Thurmond was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres out of Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University in the 24th round of the 1978 MLB Draft, but he chose not to sign.
He was never on the disabled list in his career. He was then drafted by the Padres in the fifth round of the 1979 MLB Draft, and he signed that time. He lost Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, giving up 4 runs in 32⁄3 innings, but it didn"t matter in the end as the Padres overcame an 0–2 deficit in the series to beat the Chicago Cubs 3 games to 2.
He was also the losing pitcher in Game 1 of the 1984 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, giving up only three runs, but only lasting 5 innings.
Thurmond also started Game 5, and although he only lasted 1/3 of an inning, he gave up three runs again but earned a no-decision this time. The 1985 season was sort of a let-down for Thurmond, as he went 7–11 with a 3.97 European Research Area (an entire run higher than 1984) and only started 23 of his 36 games.
In 1986, Thurmond got off to a very rocky start, going 3–7 with a 6.50 European Research Area in his first 17 games (15 starts). On July 9, 1986, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Dave LaPoint.
Thurmond really turned things around upon his arrival in Detroit, although it was mostly in the bullpen.
He finished the year with the Tigers 4–1, with a 1.92 European Research Area in 25 games (4 starts). His next season with the Tigers was the first in which he didn"t start a single game, as he went 0–1 with a 4.23 European Research Area in 48 games out of the bullpen. He made his final playoff appearance in Game 4 of the 1987 ALCS, pitching 1/3 of an inning without giving up a run.
On February 26, 1988, the Tigers traded Thurmond to the Baltimore Orioles for Ray Knight.
Thurmond"s first season with the Orioles, like their season in 1988, wasn"t that great. He went 1–8 with a 4.58 European Research Area in 43 games (6 starts) while the Orioles finished last in the American League.
The following season was better for Thurmond, as he went 2–4 with a 3.90 European Research Area in 49 games while pitching almost entirely out of the bullpen. On February 1, 1990, Thurmond signed with the Houston Astros.
However, he didn"t pitch with them at all.
Instead, he pitched in nine games for the Tucson Toros, the Astros" American Automobile Association affiliate, posting a 3.27 European Research Area with no decisions. On May 1, he was sent to the San Francisco Giants as part of a conditional deal. Thurmond pitched pretty well out of the bullpen for the Giants, going 2–3 with a 3.34 European Research Area in 43 games.
However, 1990 was his final year in the major leagues.
In 1991, he finished his career with the Phoenix Firebirds, the Giants American Automobile Association affiliate, going 0–3 with a 3.42 European Research Area in 26 games. Thurmond currently resides in Katy, Texas, and works for an insurance business his father started.