n=327 near this checkpoint
Why he matters right now
Drew Rasmussen is top-10 in the majors in WHIP, wins and strikeout-minus-walk rate
He is 3rd in WHIP at 0.92, 6th in wins at 14, 10th in strikeout-minus-walk rate at 21.3% — placements on MLB's own season boards, which rank every QUALIFIED pitcher in the sport rather than the few dozen this site tracks. Qualified is MLB's own bar, and it is the reason a part-season player with a big number is not on these boards at all.
Same case as last night, moved numbers: his headline number went from 0.91 to 0.92 since September 10.
The case in 30 seconds
- 0.92 3rd in WHIP at 0.92, 6th in wins at 14, 10th in strikeout-minus-walk rate at 21.3% on MLB's season leaderboards MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- 160 160 strikeouts, past his previous best of 146 in 2021 year-by-year record, 3 prior seasons since 2021 (MLB Stats API, cached)
The honest caveat
The open question is workload. He is at 160 innings over 28 starts; the same rate to the end of the season means roughly 177. Velocity and innings both have to hold, and neither is guaranteed — this page reports what the measurements say, not what a medical staff knows.
What to watch next
Next up: vs Houston Astros.
Every claim above, with its source (2)
- 3rd in WHIP at 0.92, 6th in wins at 14, 10th in strikeout-minus-walk rate at 21.3% on MLB's season leaderboards MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- 160 strikeouts, past his previous best of 146 in 2021 year-by-year record, 3 prior seasons since 2021 (MLB Stats API, cached)
Other cases this page considered and did not lead with: Drew Rasmussen has already passed his career best in strikeouts.
The evidence
What changed last night
4 K in 7.0 IP
W 3-1 vs Houston Astros · 2026-09-11
What to watch next
vs Houston Astros
Tropicana Field · 6:10 p.m. ET
Opposite Peter Lambert
Situational splits
| Split | IP | ERA | SO | WHIP | AVG against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHP | 68.1 | — | 60 | 0.80 | .187 |
| vs LHP | 90.1 | — | 100 | 1.02 | .216 |
| Home | 79.2 | 3.05 | 83 | 1.00 | .218 |
| Away | 80.2 | 2.57 | 77 | 0.83 | .190 |
| Day | 80.1 | 2.80 | 86 | 0.91 | .194 |
| Night | 80.0 | 2.81 | 74 | 0.93 | .214 |
2026 season, MLB Stats API. A split with no plate appearances is omitted rather than shown as zeroes.
28G
28GS
160.1IP
14-5W-L
2.81ERA
0.92WHIP
160K
8.98K/9
0SV
Strikeout chase
| Chase | Current | Pace | Needed from here | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 K | 160 | 176 | 40 K · 13.8 per outing over 2.9 left | EXTREME |
| 250 K | 160 | 176 | 90 K · 31.0 per outing over 2.9 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 300 K | 160 | 176 | 140 K · 48.3 per outing over 2.9 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 350 K | 160 | 176 | 190 K · 65.5 per outing over 2.9 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 383 K | 160 | 176 | 223 K · 76.9 per outing over 2.9 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
ERA & WHIP finish lines
| Finish | Current | Required rest-of-season | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-2.00 ERA | 2.81 | -5.91 over about 16 innings | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.75 ERA | 2.81 | -8.61 over about 16 innings | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.50 ERA | 2.81 | -11.30 over about 16 innings | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.00 WHIP | 0.92 | 1.81 | ON PACE |
| Sub-0.90 WHIP | 0.92 | 0.73 | NEAR PACE |
Recent game log
Derived nightly from the snapshot ledger — each row is the difference between consecutive days; multi-day rows are labeled.
| Date | Opp | Result | IP | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-11 | Houston Astros | W 3-1 | 7.0 | 4 |
| 2026-09-05 | Texas Rangers | W 6-3 | 7.0 | 7 |
| 2026-08-19 | Toronto Blue Jays | W 7-6 | 5.0 | 5 |
| 2026-08-12 | Athletics | W 8-4 | 5.0 | 3 |
| 2026-08-07 | Seattle Mariners | W 2-1 | 7.0 | 8 |
| 2026-08-01 | Chicago White Sox | W 1-0 | 6.0 | 10 |
| 2026-07-26 | Cleveland Guardians | W 1-0 | 7.0 | 9 |
| 2026-07-21 | Toronto Blue Jays | W 12-2 | 5.0 | 5 |
| 2026-07-08 | New York Yankees | W 3-0 | 2.1 | 2 |
Lahman + Retrosheet context
How this season fits history
Chase history
Stuff watch
Cutter velocity, start by start
Every start's average against his own trailing baseline of 90.0 ± 0.5 mph. Ringed dots sit more than one standard deviation under the baseline; last start 90.12 mph (2026-09-11).
No active signals — inside one standard deviation of his own baseline. A trend report, not a diagnosis.