The Tampa Bay Rays have decided they only have one player they want with the baseball to start the game with their season on the brink.
They announced on Wednesday afternoon that Drew Rasmussen is going to be the starting pitcher for World Series Game 5 against the Milwaukee Brewers, despite Rasmussen not being on full rest.
Rasmussen has pitched at an ace level throughout the postseason, and so he now gets a chance to continue Tampa Bay’s season.
The Rays were down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series before rallying in the 12th inning from 3-2 down to win 4-3 on Tuesday night in Game 4 to keep things alive.
They’ll have to win three more games in a row, though, to stun the Brewers.
That’ll be what Rasmussen tries to start when he takes the mound to open Wednesday night’s game.
How Many Pitches Can Drew Rasmussen Throw Tonight?
Rasmussen likely can’t throw more than 50 pitches on Wednesday night in World Series Game 5, although there’s always a chance the Rays push him up closer to 75 if they’re feeling especially bold.
The right-hander started Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, a 5-4 Rays loss.
In that game, he went 3.2 innings and threw 89 pitches. Rasmussen gave up three runs while allowing six hits and two walks.
Rasmussen has since had three days of rest. In the regular season, starting pitchers usually get at least four days of rest.
That leaves it up to in-game interpretation for Rays manager Kevin Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder to see how to handle Rasmussen throughout this game.
Why Drew Rasmussen is on a Pitch Count
This isn’t a regular start day for Rasmussen. If the Rays were going regular rest, he’d get the Game 6 start on Friday, not the Game 5 start on Wednesday.
The Rays may not get a Friday, though, so they’re using Rasmussen.
The good news is he would’ve generally had a bullpen day on Wednesday, so he was scheduled to throw either way.
Today would have been a bullpen day in between starts for Rasmussen. I’d expect 30-40 pitches, so maybe 1-2 innings, but we’ll see what Kevin Cash says.
Could there be a scenario where Rass starts Game 5 AND Game 6 if it gets there? 🤔
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) October 28, 2026
The pitches Rasmussen throws in a World Series game will certainly be more stressful than a bullpen session, though. This is a risky choice, but one that Tampa Bay felt it had to take.
How Many Pitches Can Drew Rasmussen Throw Tonight? Why Rays’ Pitcher is on Pitch Count