For Rasmussen's G2 start, he'll face team he'd otherwise be rooting for

MILWAUKEE -- Before heading to American Family Field on Friday afternoon, Drew Rasmussen and his wife Stevie took a moment to appreciate, and laugh about, the cosmic coincidence of it all.

“Had the Brewers been playing anyone else in the World Series,” Rasmussen said, “man, I’d be rooting for them.”

That makes sense. The Brewers selected Rasmussen in the sixth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, taking a chance on a right-hander with two Tommy John surgeries on his medical record. He made his Major League debut for Milwaukee two years later. He’s still connected with many players, coaches and staffers in the Brewers’ dugout, not to mention the fanbase that embraced him early in his career.

So why wouldn’t he root on the National League champion Brewers in their pursuit of the franchise’s first World Series championship?

Ah, right. Rasmussen pitches for the American League champion Rays, and he’ll be facing his former team when he gets the start in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night at American Family Field.

“It's a really unique, really cool matchup. I'm excited for this one,” Rasmussen said Friday afternoon. “I'm excited for their fanbase and their organization, but at the end of the day, it is us they're competing against -- and we really want to win a World Series as well.”

Rasmussen has taken an unusual path to reach this point, and it actually started with him being drafted by the Rays in 2017. Tampa Bay selected him 31st overall out of Oregon State, but it couldn’t sign him due to an elbow issue that wound up leading to his second Tommy John surgery. Rasmussen returned to the Beavers, joined the Brewers and got his start in Milwaukee.

Of course, he wound up finding his way back to the Rays.

On May 21, 2021, the Rays dealt shortstop Willy Adames and right-hander Trevor Richards to the Brewers for two pitchers: reliever J.P. Feyereisen and Rasmussen.

At the time, Rasmussen was pitching out of Milwaukee’s bullpen with essentially a two-pitch mix: a sinker and a slider. Five years later, he has proven himself to be one of the best starting pitchers in the Majors thanks to a dominant, constantly expanding arsenal of pitches that he developed under pitching coach Kyle Snyder.

As much as the Rasmussens cherished their time in Milwaukee, they’ve found a home with the Rays and started a family of their own with a son, Rhett, and a daughter, Miller.

“Ultimately, I couldn't be more grateful for the location they traded me to. My time in Tampa [Bay] has meant -- it's meant the world to me,” Rasmussen said. “It's a funny way to kind of look at it, but the greatest blessings in my career have come because of the Milwaukee Brewers.”

On Saturday, he’ll find himself trying to prevent the greatest accomplishment in Brewers history.

It was somewhat of a surprise when the Rays announced Thursday that Nick Martinez, not Rasmussen, would start Game 1 of the Fall Classic. But one thing that motivated the decision was letting Rasmussen pitch on five days’ rest -- as he has done in most of his outings this season -- rather than four.

Considering Rasmussen has had three major elbow surgeries, including an internal brace procedure that cut short his 2023 season and put him back in the bullpen when he eventually returned in late ‘24, the Rays are still mindful of his health. He has blown past his career-high workload, pitching 172 innings over 30 regular-season starts and 21 more in three outings this postseason.

If the Rays are going to continue to get the best out of Rasmussen, as they have all month and all season, they believe it’s more likely to happen when he has an extra day to recover.

“We want him to be at full strength and feeling really good when he gets on the mound,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Our information tells us over many, many times of doing this that that extra day plays a huge benefit.”

Rasmussen should also benefit from pitching in a familiar environment. He made his second start of the season at American Family Field, holding the Brewers to two runs (one earned) while striking out eight over five innings. He has pitched more innings in this ballpark than anywhere else in the Majors besides Tropicana Field, George M. Steinbrenner Field, Yankee Stadium and Rogers Centre.

And Rasmussen knows what to expect from the home crowd in Game 2. He’d have been right there with them, probably, if he wasn’t on the mound instead.

“It's going to be an electric environment, I can guarantee you that,” Rasmussen said. “I'm pretty positive the people of Wisconsin are very excited for this.”