11-year-old Drew Rasmussen shares name with Rays pitcher

All right, everybody. Welcome back to this special edition of Fox Tampa Bay Live. All the way, Ray's World Series special. Right now, you are looking at a picture of Drew Rasmussen. And Drew Rasmussen, that's right, little Drew, got to meet starting pitcher for the Rays, Drew. And he even got to be the honorary bat boy. And what a fun time it was. And what a, you know, you don't hear that name every day so to have the exact same name as a major league baseball player i mean what are the odds well joining us live right now to talk all about it is little drew rasmussen and his father nick rasmussen guys how you doing so great to have you on here yeah thank you um drew so talk to me about what you guys live in minneapolis that's important to note you're not in Tampa Bay what year and when did you get to come to Tampa and meet Drew Rasmussen tell me all about it we met Drew Rasmussen in 2023 I believe and I gotta be the ball kid and and when I I gotta set out the um the rosin bag and the ball on the mound and I gotta wave afterwards and so when I looked back uh I never knew that Drew Rasmussen uh was gonna be there but I looked behind me and there he was and he uh he uh he had his jersey with me and so he gave me his jersey and I was like frozen up and really excited so I I was just really excited and yeah do you remember what he said to you not really i was really froze up and really froze up and i was starting to cry oh i'm sure i mean what what was that what was that moment like for you that's a once in a lifetime opportunity for a lot of people yeah pretty unique experience from my side being the dad and watching his uh eight-year-old son get a chance to to meet one of his uh you know his heroes i was just about to say i mean we just had a whole segment talking with a huge race fan about how baseball has been just such a huge bonding experience and for her and her dad i mean like i said what was this like for for you to see from from that perspective yeah it was kind of surreal you know uh you never expect to be in that situation you know when drew was born and we named him drew uh did we ever expect to uh to come across another Drew Rasmussen especially one that was going to be you know on a top tier professional team and going to the World Series heck no um but it's been fun to experience and it's allowed him and i drew uh my drew to bond uh at a level we wouldn't have otherwise bonded whether it was that trip or you know anything else we do when it's turned on the Rays baseball and uh and watching them win and i i think you guys have the jersey that he gave you behind you right can we see that so he signed it so when like i said we didn't expect to see drew that day um because he had just um hurt his arm i think the prior start and uh it sounded like he was going to uh be done for the season and so we did not expect him to be there and get a chance to meet with him so i can say that i was surprised and And especially my Drew was surprised when he did show up surprisingly on the mound that day. So he brought us a shirt, brought Drew a shirt. We framed it. It's been hanging in his room ever since. And, you know, it just says to Drew, thank you. Thank you for your continued support. Best of luck with all your life and endeavors and signed it. Wow, that's so awesome. And actually, your wife has been so kind to provide some of the photos from that exact moment. How sweet is that? Dad, I have to ask. I mean, Rasmussen isn't a name you hear every day. Do you know much about your family name and kind of where it comes from? That would be a great question for my dad, who has done a little bit of research and homework there. My understanding is there is no tie on the family tree to Big Drew. I grew up in Michigan, and there were some Rasmussens there. As now we live in Minnesota, there's a lot more Rasmussens in Minnesota than there was in Michigan. So it's maybe more common than people realize. You know what? It probably is. So you guys are watching the Rays this entire season. What was your reaction when they made it to the World Series? Drew Rasmussen playing a huge part of that. Yeah. I liked when, I don't know what game it was, but he had almost a no-hitter that game, and I really liked that. I'm sure. It was such a cool sight to watch. So, guys, I know that you weren't able to get tickets to tonight's game. Has there been any updates on the ticket situation? I know they've been tough to get. They're really tough to get, and when you can get them, they're expensive. So we were trying. I was really close to yesterday because Drew was supposed to be the starter, and that's the game that we wanted to watch. Luckily, we didn't get them because, obviously, Nick Martinez got the call, and Drew's pitching tomorrow night. But as soon as we get done with this call, I am happy to say, Drew and I got to go packed up because we got to hit the road because we got a game to go watch tomorrow night in person. Oh, is this a surprise right now? What do you think about that? What do you think about that, Drew? You want to go see him? Yeah. All right, let's do it. Oh, my God. Can I come? What is this? Oh, guys. The more the merrier. This is so exciting. Nick, have you been to a World Series before? No, I have not. This will be my first experience as well. Oh, well, what an experience, guys. We are so happy for you. Thank you so much for making this announcement on our special. Drew, are we going to wear the... Are you wearing a Rasmussen jersey right now? I'm sure that's all you own. Yep. That's all I'm wearing. That makes sense. There's nothing else in the closet. So, he didn't. We honestly just got tickets before coming on here. We've been waiting, looking, looking, looking, and finally, Lindsay, my wife, came in here and said, I got them. You guys are going. Oh, my gosh. That's so exciting, guys. I'm so happy for both of you. This is going to be truly – I got to go to the Super Bowl with my dad this past year for the first time, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that is exactly what you guys are about to endure. And I think Rasmussen is starting tomorrow, right? he is starting tomorrow wow all right guys well you know what we'll let you go pack i know you got to get on the road now how far is Milwaukee from you guys uh we have about five hours okay it's worth it it's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow it's worth it we're gonna get on the road we're gonna we're gonna probably go a little over halfway and then uh we'll we'll finish up the trip tomorrow kind of take our time and have some good bonding time catch the game and then come back awesome well guys we are just so happy for you drew nick thank you for coming on here and talking all about your experience and this new experience that you're about to get to see firsthand uh we appreciate you have so much fun we'll have to we'll have to check in with you guys after yeah thanks thanks for having us thank you guys oh my goodness that is the best that's the best thing ever.