Yankees Birthday of the Day: Dennis Rasmussen
Some people have a leg up on their competitors; for Rasmussen, the opposite was true.
CHICAGO - 1987: Dennis Rasmussen of the New York Yankees pitches during an MLB game versus the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | Getty Images Of all the players who donned the pinstripes, Dennis Rasmussen was certainly one of them. If we’re only looking at the numbers, he was a pretty forgettable starter who was often competent but rarely dominant.
And as he played for the good-but-not-good-enough Yankees of the mid-80s, he has no rings nor legendary postseason exploits to his name. However, one biographical detail elevates Rasmussen’s story from the humdrum to the sublime. Dennis Lee Rasmussen Born : April 18, 1959 (Los Angeles, CA) Yankees Tenure : 1984-87 Strictly sticking to baseball, Dennis Rasmussen’s biggest claim to fame may be being involved in three high-profile trades early in his career.
The California Angels selected Rasmussen in the first round of the 1980 MLB Draft, only to ship him to the Yankees as part of a package for Tommy John following the 1982 season. Just the following year, the Yankees flipped him (along with another prospect) to the Padres for 1975 NL Rookie of the Year John Montefusco. Rasmussen reached the big leagues with the Padres that year, posting a 1.
98 ERA over four appearances and one start. However, San Diego would not be his forever home. Days before the start of the 1984 season, the Padres dealt Rasmussen back to the Yankees along with a PTBNL for Graig Nettles.
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