World Series 2026: Rays to start ace Drew Rasmussen in Game 5 with season on the line

With their season on the line Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays will turn to ace Drew Rasmussen on three days rest to keep the team alive another day. Hours before game time, the team announced Rasmussen would draw the start in Game 5 of the World Series.

It will mark Rasmussen's first start since Game 2 on Saturday, when he allowed three runs over 3 2/3 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Rays were able to get to Brewers starter Logan Henderson in that contest, so Rasmussen actually left Game 2 with a one-run lead.

The Rays' bullpen couldn't hold that lead, however, eventually losing Game 2 to fall behind 2-0 in the series.

Following their win in Game 4 on Tuesday, the Rays need to win out in order to take down the Brewers and win the 2026 World Series.

Doing so will require some fantastic pitching over the next three games. In that sense, going with Rasmussen is probably the best strategy. He was the team's best pitcher in the regular season, posting a 2.67 ERA over 170 innings. That performance was good enough to earn Rasmussen his second straight All-Star nod.

But the team is taking a significant risk by putting Rasmussen on the mound. The 31-year-old will not only pitch on short rest, but will need to give the Rays as much length as possible after the team burned through seven pitchers in Tuesday's Game 4 win and six pitchers in Monday's Game 3 loss.

While the Rays will likely be willing to use anyone in Game 5, the team runs the risk of sending a fatigued and overtaxed pitcher on the mound at any moment, a dangerous gambit for a team one mistake away from losing the World Series.

Though Rasmussen struggled in Game 2 vs. the Brewers, he had previously been excellent this postseason. In his three previous starts during these playoffs, Rasmussen had a 1.29 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 21 innings.