Five Hundred

The Warmup

March 2015, his freshman year at Oregon State. Drew Rasmussen warmed up in the bullpen with no command and no movement on his pitches. He felt he didn't have it. Then he walked to the mound and threw the first perfect game in program history — 10 strikeouts on 103 pitches in a 3-0 win over Washington State. He remained completely calm each inning.

Born in Puyallup, Washington, to Kim and Mark Rasmussen, both elementary-school teachers. The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted him out of high school in the 39th round in 2014; he did not sign and went to Oregon State instead, majoring in finance.

Thirty-First

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Rasmussen 31st overall in the 2017 draft. A post-draft physical revealed he needed a second Tommy John surgery, and the Rays declined to sign him. Oregon State coach Pat Casey came to check on him, emotional. Rasmussen told him to relax and focus on the rest of the team — he would take care of himself mentally and be fine.

He missed all of 2018 recovering. The Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in the sixth round that summer, signed him for $135,000, and brought him to the majors in August 2020. His stints list two clubs — two seasons in Milwaukee, six in Tampa Bay — and the career totals span both: 565 innings, 100 starts, a 2.96 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP across seven major-league seasons.

Five Hundred

On June 10, 2026, Rasmussen recorded his 500th career strikeout. The total stands at 531, accumulated across 149 appearances. He has 38 wins and 22 losses, and two All-Star selections in 2025 and 2026.

At Mt. Spokane High School in Mead, Washington, coach Alex Schuerman called him the hardest-working kid he had ever coached — the one who finished a game and headed to the outfield for extra laps while his teammates packed up. He is 30 years old, in his sixth season with the Rays.

Reporting: The Athletic, The Spokesman-Review, Oregon State Beavers. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.