Brewers rookies suit up for memorable debuts

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CHICAGO -- Brewers rookie Brice Turang impressed his manager from the moment he stepped off the team bus on Opening Day, decked out in a suit and tie.

Craig Counsell isn’t especially old school, but this was a traditional touch he enjoyed.

“I thought that was just awesome,” Counsell said. “He said his dad told him to do it. In another era, that was more commonplace. And I thought that was great.”

Turang and Rule 5 reliever Gus Varland each made their Major League debuts on Thursday, Turang the first Brewer to debut as a member of the Opening Day lineup since J.J. Hardy in 2005, and Varland as the Brewers’ first pitcher acquired via the Rule 5 Draft and kept for the regular season since Wei-Chung Wang in 2013.

Did Counsell have any advice?

“It’s simple: Just enjoy the day,” Counsell said. “This is a day you want to remember. We don’t do well to remember it, probably, when we look back on it. So just enjoy it.”

Both rookies had moments to remember. Turang legged out an infield chopper in the third inning for a hit in his first Major League at-bat. And Varland got the call in the seventh, struck out the first batter he faced (Miles Mastrobuoni) and then wiggled out of a bases loaded jam by getting veteran Trey Mancini to ground out.

They both left the field with a memento. Major League Baseball has authenticators right in each dugout at Wrigley Field, so the Brewers had the baseball from Turang’s first career hit and Varland’s first career strikeout logged and then placed in a case for each player.

“I had a good time,” Turang said. "These guys helped me out, took me under their wing and told me everything I needed to know about today. I really appreciate these guys.”

Of the moment he stepped on the field, he said, “Man, it’s hard to describe. The nerves were definitely there. I had my family in town and seeing them in the stands watching me was great. I kind of wanted to take it as another game and try to compete and try to win the ballgame.”

Turang left 20 tickets for his family. Varland left about 25, but said he could have easily filled 100 requests.

“It was everything I could ever want,” Varland said. “Warming up in the ‘pen, the nerves kind of went away a little bit. And then coming from the ‘pen, where you can’t hear anything, to out there [on the field], it was a little bit of a shock. But I got used to it quickly and felt right at home.”

The duo has plenty more Major League games ahead. Turang was asked whether he’ll wear a suit again when the series continues Saturday.

“We’ll see,” he said. “I just was always told by my dad to wear a suit. I decided to wear it and that’s all I know."