Eric Ralph Rasmussen (born March 22, 1952) is a former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

, and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

in the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

organization.

Career

Early years

Born Harold Ralph Rasmussen, he was originally known as Harry until legally changing his name to Eric during the – offseason. The right hander was originally selected by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

in the fourth round of the January 1971 Major League Baseball draft, but opted instead to attend the

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...

, where he was named first team All-America. The

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

then selected him in the 32nd round of the 1973 Major League Baseball draft. He was the last player selected and signed in his draft year to play in the Major Leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals

Rasmussen moved through the Cardinals' organization rapidly, reaching Triple-A with the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...

in just his second full season in . He was called up to the majors that July, and hurled a seven

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s, 1

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

) of the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in his major league debut. He also collected his first major league hit and drove in the second

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

of the game with a fifth

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

. He wound up starting 13 games for the Cardinals over the rest of the season, going 5-5 with a 3.78

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. After splitting 1976 between the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

and

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

, Rasmussen had perhaps his best season statistically in 1977. He set career bests in ERA (3.48), strikeouts (120),

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

(233) and

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s (11). Despite his good numbers, Rasmussen lost 17 games against 11 wins for the third-place Cards.

San Diego Padres

Rasmussen started with St. Louis, but was traded to the San Diego Padres in May for

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

George Hendrick George Andrew Hendrick Jr. (born October 18, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder between and , most prominently as an integral member of the St. Louis Cardinals t ...

. Although most of his other numbers fell off, he set his career high with fourteen wins between the two clubs. That wasn't enough to keep Rasmussen in the Padres' starting rotation, though, as he spent the next two seasons bouncing back and forth between starting and relieving. Following the season, Rasmussen was released by the Padres.

Mexican League, and back to St. Louis

That winter, Rasmussen pitched in the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

, and spent all of and part of with the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

. He returned to the Cardinals, who were in the midst of a playoff drive, that September. He pitched in eight games, going 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA. His one win came on the final day of the season against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, as the Cards won the

National League East The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National Leag ...

by three games over the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. Rasmussen was not part of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

champions' post season roster. Rasmussen opened the season with the Cardinals, but he was used sparingly. After a pair of poor outings in May, Rasmussen was sent to the minors. He started four games for the Triple-A

Louisville Redbirds Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, going 2–2 with an ERA of 4.13, before being sold to the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Kansas City Royals

The Royals released

Vida Blue Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (born July 28, 1949) is a former American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball between and , most notably as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won thr ...

to make room in their starting rotation for Rasmussen. He rewarded their confidence by hurling a shutout against the Boston Red Sox. It was the first shutout by a Royals pitcher since October 1981, and his first major league shutout since . It also earned him the distinction of being the only major league pitcher ever to hurl a shutout in both his

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

and

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

debuts. He appeared in 11 games in all for the Royals in 1983, including 9 starts, winning 3 games and losing 6 before a groin pull ended his season. At the end of the season, he was released.

Back in the minors

Rasmussen spent the next several seasons attempting to return to the major leagues. He spent with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

organization, pitching for the

Tucson Toros The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in ...

. In , Rasmussen signed with the independent

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

and spent most of the season, and part of as well, although he did appear in one game for the Redbirds in 1985. He was picked up by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

partway through 1986, and he spent the next season and a half with their top farm club, the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

Career statistics

{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , W , L , Pct ,

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

, G , GS , CG ,

SHO Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...

, SV , IP , H , ER , R , HR , BB , K , WP , HBP , BAA , Fld% , Avg. , SH , - , 50 , 77 , , 3.85 , 238 , 144 , 27 , 12 , 5 , 1017.2 , 1033 , 435 , 489 , 87 , 309 , 489 , 15 , 11 , .266 , .969 , .119 , 34

Rasmussen described his best pitch as a fastball. He threw a four-seam, a two-seam and a cut fastball. Though never much of a hitter, he collected the

game-winning RBI A game-winning RBI (GWRBI) is a statistic that was used in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1980 to 1988. Building upon the run batted in (RBI) statistic, the ''game-winning'' RBI was defined in MLB rules as "the RBI that gives a club the lead it ...

of his August 5 start during his rookie season. He had ten career RBIs. His only career two RBI game came against reigning

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

winner Randy Jones in 1977. Despite becoming a coach in , Rasmussen did not stop playing professional baseball. He went on to pitch for the

Fort Myers Sun Sox The Fort Myers Sun Sox were one of the eight original franchises that began play in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. The club was managed by Pat Dobson, while Joe Coleman, Dyar Miller, Jerry Terrell and Tony Torchia served as ...

for the duration of the two-year run of the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

in –.

Coaching

Rasmussen accepted a pitching coach position in the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

' minor league system in 1988. In , he jumped over to the

' organization, where he has remained ever since. From 1991 through he was the pitching coach for the Rookie level

Gulf Coast League Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, the ...

, in and , he coached the Twins' advanced A affiliate, the

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex a ...

, in he jumped to the Double A

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They playe ...

, and in , he returned to the Miracle. Following the season, Rasmussen was promoted to Twins Minor League Pitching Coordinator, which is the position he currently holds. The entire 2008 starting rotation for the Twins all pitched for Rasmussen in

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

. Some of the other notable names to have been coached by Rasmussen include

Johan Santana Johan Alexander Santana Araque (; born March 13, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball starting pitcher. Santana pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2007 and for the New York Mets from 200 ...

Matt Garza Matthew Scott Garza (born November 26, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Minnesota Twins, and also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Texas ...

LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorad ...

and

Mark Redman Mark Allen Redman (born January 5, 1974) is an American former professional baseball left-handed starting pitcher. Early career A 1992 graduate of Escondido High School in California, he played baseball and football before attending The Master's ...

. Following

Paul Molitor Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and former manager of the Minnesota Twins, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his 21-year baseball car ...

's hiring as Twins

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, he interviewed for the major league

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

job that ultimately went to

Neil Allen Neil Patrick Allen (born January 24, 1958) is an American baseball former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Playing career New York Mets The New York Mets drafted Allen out of Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas, in the elevent ...

Personal life

Eric has been married to Linda Rasmussen since 1982. They currently reside in

Cape Coral, Florida Cape Coral is a city located in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957 and developed as a planned community, the city's population has grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 Census, a rise of 26% from the 2010 Census ...

with their twin sons, Brock & Derek, who were born in , and a third son named Michael. Rasmussen was taught

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

by fellow San Diego Padres pitcher

John D'Acquisto John Francis D'Acquisto (born December 24, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball player who pitched for six teams in his ten-year career that spanned from to . He is the cousin of former major league pitcher Lou Marone. Career San Francisc ...

. They formed a band called Wild Pitch following the 1979 season, and played in local

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

clubs. Rasmussen was central in helping Sam Kuhnert form the NubAbility Athletic Foundation. NubAbility is a sports clinic for children who have lost a limb. Kuhert was born without a left hand.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Eric 1952 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arkansas Travelers players Baseball coaches from Wisconsin Baseball players from Wisconsin Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Fort Myers Sun Sox players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Kansas City Royals players Leones de Yucatán players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Miami Marlins (FSL) players Minnesota Twins coaches New Orleans Privateers baseball players Rochester Red Wings players San Diego Padres players Sportspeople from Racine, Wisconsin Sportspeople from the Milwaukee metropolitan area St. Louis Cardinals players St. Petersburg Cardinals players Tucson Toros players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players