Darrell Rasner
Encyclopedia
Darrell Wayne Rasner is a starting pitcher
for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
of the Japan
ese Pacific League
.
Rasner attended the University of Nevada
, where he was a health ecology major. He was selected by the Montreal Expos
in the second round (46th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
.
, pitching in a few games late in the season. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees
in the 2005 off-season.
Rasner recorded his first major league win on September 3, , in a game he started for the Yankees against the Minnesota Twins
. Rasner went 6 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts and no walks in a 10-1 victory.
On May 19, , in a start against the New York Mets
, Rasner was struck on the right hand by a ball hit by Endy Chávez
, a former teammate with the Nationals. He fractured his right index finger and did not pitch in the major leagues again that season, though he pitched at several levels of the minor leagues on rehab assignments.
Rasner was not offered a new contract by the Yankees and became a free agent
on December 12, 2007, but was re-signed a couple of days later to a minor league deal.
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On May 4, , Rasner was recalled by the Yankees, and made his season debut against the Seattle Mariners
. Rasner worked 6 innings, allowing only 2 runs and stayed in the Yankee rotation until September, when he was replaced by Alfredo Aceves
. It was during this impressive four month stretch that he earned the cult nickname "The Showstopper" by Yankees fans and the New York press.
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
.
Rasner attended the University of Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
, where he was a health ecology major. He was selected by the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
in the second round (46th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
2002 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5.This year's draft is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball.-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Compensation Selections:...
.
Major league career
Rasner began his major league career with the Washington NationalsWashington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
, pitching in a few games late in the season. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the 2005 off-season.
Rasner recorded his first major league win on September 3, , in a game he started for the Yankees against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. Rasner went 6 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts and no walks in a 10-1 victory.
On May 19, , in a start against the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, Rasner was struck on the right hand by a ball hit by Endy Chávez
Endy Chávez
Endy de Jesus Chávez is a Major League Baseball outfielder.Chávez bats and throws left-handed and is considered to have good fielding skills, speed, and the ability to hit to all parts of the field...
, a former teammate with the Nationals. He fractured his right index finger and did not pitch in the major leagues again that season, though he pitched at several levels of the minor leagues on rehab assignments.
Rasner was not offered a new contract by the Yankees and became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on December 12, 2007, but was re-signed a couple of days later to a minor league deal.
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. Rasner worked 6 innings, allowing only 2 runs and stayed in the Yankee rotation until September, when he was replaced by Alfredo Aceves
Alfredo Aceves
Alfredo Aceves Martínez is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He uses a fastball, which can reach the mid 90s, a curveball, a changeup, and a cut fastball. He is known for his control and his ability to throw any pitch in any count...
. It was during this impressive four month stretch that he earned the cult nickname "The Showstopper" by Yankees fans and the New York press.