Thurston was born in Fremont, Nebraska, and graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School. He played his first professional game on April 19, 1923, with the St. Louis Browns.\n', '

On August 22, 1923, Thurston struck out three batters on nine pitches in the 12th inning of a 3–2 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics. He became the second American League pitcher and the sixth pitcher in major league history to accomplish the "immaculate inning". He is also the first pitcher to achieve the feat in extra innings.\n', '

In 1924, while pitching for the Chicago White Sox, Thurston led the American League with 28 Complete Games, posting a 20-14 record in 36 starts, while also leading the league in Hits Allowed (330), Earned Runs Allowed (123), and Home Runs Allowed (17) in 291 innings pitched.\n', '

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