Rasner attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where he played college baseball for the Nevada Wolf Pack.[1] He earned Freshman All-American honors in 2000, with a record of 14-2, 3.52 ERA in 18 appearances. When drafted, he held records for most wins (28) and strikeouts (302) by a Nevada pitcher. In 2015, Rasner was inducted into the Wolf Pack's Hall of Fame.[1]
Rasner began his major league career with the Washington Nationals, pitching in a few games late in the 2005 season. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees on February 11, 2006.[3]
Rasner recorded his first major league win on September 3, 2006, in a game he started for the Yankees against the Minnesota Twins. Rasner went six innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, two strikeouts and no walks in a 10-1 victory.[4]
On May 19, 2007, 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.[5]
Rasner was not offered a new contract by the Yankees and became a free agent on December 12, 2007, but was re-signed a few days later on December 18 to a minor league deal.[6]
On May 4, 2008, Rasner was recalled by the Yankees, and made his season debut against the Seattle Mariners. Rasner worked six innings, allowing only two runs and stayed in the Yankee rotation until September, when he was replaced by Alfredo Aceves.[7]
Nippon Professional Baseball
On November 15, 2008, the Yankees sold Rasner to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles for $1 million. Rasner signed a two-year deal with the Golden Eagles.[8] Rasner was traveling with his teammates on a shinkansen when he felt the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.[9][10] He played with the Golden Eagles for five years (2009-2013), the last three as a closer and setup man, before going down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.[11][12]
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