PITTSBURGH -- It has been a stressful and emotional 10 days for Drew Rasmussen and his family, but some sense of normalcy has finally returned.
Rasmussen and his wife, Stevie, brought their newborn daughter, Miller Drew, home on Thursday night. And on Friday, Rasmussen flew north to rejoin the Rays at PNC Park ahead of his scheduled start against National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes on Saturday afternoon.
“Everyone's good right now,” Rasmussen said Friday afternoon, speaking for the first time since Miller was born late on April 7. “So, we're in a good spot right now.”
Manager Kevin Cash lauded Rasmussen for the characteristically “very professional” way he handled everything they’ve been through since early last week.
“I'm happy that everything is going well, and I think he's probably trending more toward probably getting back into a normal routine,” Cash said. “I'm happy that the baby's home, and I'm really happy that Drew's here -- and excited to see him pitch.”
Rasmussen had been scheduled to start against the Cubs on April 7, but those plans changed quickly that morning. Stevie was at a scheduled doctor’s appointment when she started going into labor, but it was clear the baby wasn’t coming anytime soon.
At that point, she took the remarkable step of calling head athletic trainer Joe Benge to let him know -- and ask him if Rasmussen could still pitch that night.
“I mean, you want to talk about a team player? She was thinking about letting me pitch and not telling me until after I was done,” Rasmussen said, smiling. “Look, crazy day.”
Benge and president of baseball operations Erik Neander obviously encouraged Rasmussen to be with his family, and the Rays went about planning a bullpen game for that night. Miller was born later that night.
The Rasmussens were in and out of the hospital in the days afterward, with Stevie cleared to go home before Miller. And during those restless days, Rasmussen and Stevie decided it was time for the right-hander to get back on the mound.
So after spending three days on the paternity list and one day on the family medical emergency list, Rasmussen returned in dominant fashion against the Yankees last Sunday at Tropicana Field. He put together his best start of the season, as impressive as anything he did during his All-Star campaign last year, and held the Yankees to just one hit with seven strikeouts over six innings.
His performance was outstanding. The story behind it makes it even more unbelievable.
Rasmussen carefully considered the decision, talking it over with Stevie, Neander, his agents and others. They figured Sunday was a good chance to get back on the mound, as it would give him a little extra time with his family and then allow him to stay home when the team headed to Chicago to face the White Sox earlier this week.
“Stevie and I ultimately decided maybe a little bit of normalcy would be nice,” Rasmussen said.
But Rasmussen was running on fumes, as any new parent can understand. He admitted he was “pretty tired, more mentally than physically.” (Physically, he said, he felt “really good” in his first outing since April 1.) And the 30-year-old starter, as dedicated to his routine as any pitcher you’ll find, couldn’t prepare the way he normally does.
He watched no video. He didn’t have time to put together a full scouting report on everyone in the lineup. He leaned on his own experience against the Yankees -- and his time playing with their shortstop, former Ray José Caballero -- and let catcher Hunter Feduccia handle the rest.
How was he even able to focus on pitching in that moment?
“I don't know,” he said. “Just kind of trying to focus on execution, putting a little bit more weight on Feddy's shoulders and just taking it pitch by pitch. I don't know if I shook off (Feduccia’s pitch call) once, in all honesty.”
Now, with Miller joining Stevie and their son, Rhett, at home, Rasmussen said he will be “back around from here on out.” He was able to work out with the Rays’ rehab group at Tropicana Field the past few days, playing catch and throwing a between-starts bullpen, and he joined the team in Pittsburgh on Friday morning.
He even found time to scout a familiar opponent he’ll face Saturday afternoon: former teammate Brandon Lowe.
“It's been a long week and a half,” Rasmussen said, “but everything's going well right now.”