Tag: Robert Gasser

Memories Abound as Robert Gasser Makes His MLB Debut

Robert Gasser Made His MLB Debut Friday in Milwaukee

By Steve Parkhurst

Life comes full circle sometimes; we all know that.

Baseball life often sees those circles form a lot sooner, just by the nature of the sport.

Just over three years ago, March 5, 2021, to be exact, I watched in person from the press box, what I consider to be the finest pitcher’s duel I have ever seen in person in all my baseball days at any level of baseball.

Power versus power, lefty versus righty, experienced veteran versus relative newcomer.

I was there on the campus of the University of Houston on that Friday night when the Texas Longhorns came to town sporting a No. 19 national ranking on their way to a College World Series appearance in Omaha.

Texas ace Ty Madden was on the mound that night and he was opposed by Houston left-hander Robert Gasser in his only full season with the Cougars, he was on the 2020 roster when the season was brought to an end in early March because of the pandemic.

Madden pitched a complete game two-hit shutout and Texas won the game 1-0. Madden also added 14 strikeouts. Gasser pitched seven scoreless innings for Houston and struck out five batters. The game was lost the inning after Gasser departed, the sole run in the game scored on a bases loaded walk in the eighth inning.

That summer, Madden was drafted by the Detroit Tigers at the end of the first round with the 32nd overall pick. Gasser was drafted the next day by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the draft with the 71st overall pick.

On August 1, 2022, Gasser was traded to Milwaukee as part of the deal that sent All-Star pitcher Josh Hader to the Padres. Gasser fundamentally did nothing but impress in the Brewers minor league system and his promotion to the big club seemed imminent. An injury sidelined Gasser for the beginning of the 2024 season, but he started in three games with the first coming on April 24.

Friday night in Milwaukee, nearly three years since he threw his last pitch for Houston on May 25, 2021, Gasser made his Major League Baseball debut for the Brewers against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The memories came flooding back last night. Not just of that Friday night in 2021, but of that season overall with all the challenges of the pandemic precautions and the long season that was the 2021 season.

Gasser pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and struck out four Cardinals batters while not allowing any walks. Gasser threw 79 pitches, 55 of them for strikes. And perhaps the best stat of all, Gasser is 1-0 on the year as a result of the Brewers 11-2 victory.

After the game, Gasser was asked about preparing for his debut and how he handled the day leading up to the game. His response was as cool as six innings of work on the mound.

“Early in the day it was tough. A lot of sitting around, not doing a whole lot, just thinking, but once I was in my routine and finding the flow it came natural, Gasser said. “I don’t want to say it was another game, but that was the mindset I was trying to have: get the first couple of pitches out of the way and just get going from there.”

“That was pretty impressive how he just went out there and executed what he wanted to do. Seemed like he had his emotions and everything under control,” Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said after the game. “It was six really big innings for us.”

“He’s a big strike thrower, he goes right after every batter,” Brewers teammate Sal Frelick said after the game when asked about Gasser’s makeup as a pitcher. “When he was out there he didn’t see names on the back of jerseys as maybe a lot of guys would. It was just another game for him, I think, and that’s just how he goes about his business. So to see him execute out there was really cool.”

Madden has not appeared in a MLB game as of yet, and this is not a fair comparison of these two pitchers as different teams have different needs and whatnot.

This whole event has me wondering about the status of the Houston players drafted in the last couple of years, or what players might I be watching play their final games with Houston this weekend and next that might be making their own MLB debut in three years, or maybe four or five.

I cannot stop and think about that right now though, the next full circle is taking shape.

. . .

Cougars Notebook – August 28, 2023

Connor Wong had himself a week . . . Wong hit in all five games he played in last week and thus takes a five game hitting streak into this week . . . Wong was 4-for-6 at Minute Maid Park against the Astros on August 24, including a two-run home run off of Houston catcher-turned-reliever Martin Maldonado.

. . .

John King made two relief appearances this past week . . . In his first appearance, at Pittsburgh on August 22, King threw 1 2/3 innings striking out one and allowing one hit . . . In Philadelphia on August 27, King threw 2/3 of an inning without allowing a run . . . King has allowed just one run in eight appearances since being traded to the Cardinals on July 30.

. . .

Robert Gasser improved to 9-1 this season with the Nashville Sounds after a six inning outing on August 25 against Gwinnett . . . Gasser threw 91 pitches with 66 of them for strikes.

. . .

Cougars Notebook – August 21, 2023

Two Cougars appeared in the same game although for opposing teams on August 15 . . . Austin Pruitt threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning for the Athletics against the St. Louis Cardinals . . . John King matched Pruitt with his own scoreless 2/3 of an inning for the Cardinals.

. . . 

John King then tossed a scoreless 1 1/3 innings on Sunday in a Cardinals victory over the New York Mets . . . King struck out two of his four recorded outs and allowed no hits or walks.

. . .

Connor Wong delivered a two-run home run at Yankee Stadium and scored twice for the Red Sox in a Boston 8-1 victory over the Yankees on Saturday . . . For Wong it was his seventh home run of the season and came off of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

. . .

Triolo went 1-for-3 on August 15 at Citi Field against the Mets . . . Triolo picked up an RBI on a bases loaded hit by pitch and he also reached base on a fielding error by Francisco Lindor in the Pirates 7-4 road win.

Triolo was optioned back to AAA Indianapolis on Friday with the Pirates team in Minneapolis.

. . .

Corey Julks was called back up by the Astros from AAA Sugar Land on Saturday and delivered a pinch hit in his only at-bat in a 10-3 Houston loss to Seattle.

. . .

Zach Arnold went 3-for-4 with an RBI on August 15 for the Clearwater Threshers . . . The RBI came when Arnold hit his first home run as a professional.

Through his first eleven games for Clearwater, Arnold has hit in nine of them and has multiple hits in four games . . . He is batting .382.

. . .

Robert Gasser struck out ten batters and allowed no walks on Friday night for the AAA Nashville Sounds . . . Gasser threw six innings allowing just one run on seven hits.

. . .

Jake Scheiner is tied for the home run lead in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and leads the league with 92 RBI.

. . .

Cougars Notebook – August 7, 2023

Former Cougars lefty Robert Gasser improved to 6-1 on Friday night for the AAA Nashville Sounds . . .  Gasser tossed six scoreless frames allowing just two hits while striking out ten batters.

. . .

Left-hander John King made his first appearance in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform on August 1 after the Rangers traded King as part of a five player deal just days before . . . King tossed a scoreless inning and gave up one hit against the Minnesota Twins in a 3-2 Cardinals loss.

King also pitched a scoreless inning against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday in a 1-0 Cardinals loss at home.

. . .

Austin Pruitt pitched two scoreless innings for the Athletics against the Dodgers on August 2 in Los Angeles . . . Pruitt did not allow a hit but struck out two Dodgers hitters on a night the National League West leaders scored ten runs against the rest of the Oakland pitching staff.

On August 5, Pruitt tossed a scoreless inning against the San Francisco Giants in a 2-1 Oakland victory.

. . .

Jared Triolo has seen his playing time with the Pittsburgh Pirates somewhat reduced with the return of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from the injured list . . . Triolo started at second base for the Pirates in Sunday’s finale in Milwaukee against the Brewers, a contest that the Pirates won 4-1.

. . .

Former Cougars RHP Ben Sears is 3-1 with eight saves in 27 appearances for the Columbus Fireflies, the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals . . . Sears also has a 2.75 ERA.

. . .

After just four games in the Florida Complex League (FCL) recently drafted Zach Arnold was promoted to the Single-A Clearwater Threshers by the Phillies . . . In eleven at-bats Arnold had two doubles and a triple and five RBI.

. . .

The first year in the Big 12 for Houston was going to be an odd one anyway because after the first year, the conference is losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC . . . Well, the second year got more interesting with the Friday news that Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah would be joining the Big 12 beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.

. . .

Houston Loses Conference Championship Opener

An unconventional day at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida met the Houston Cougars and the Tulane Green Wave as they got the American Athletic Conference Championship play underway.

The first game of the day saw the two middle-rank teams, four and five, combine for twenty-four runs in a game that took nearly four hours . . . The second game saw the top-ranked team get run-ruled in seven innings 11-1 by the last seed in the championship, so anything seemed possible on day one.

Robert Gasser took the mound for Houston and he and his counterpart for the Tulane Green Wave worked quickly and moved the game along with few, if any, baserunners.

The Cougars got their first hit in the fifth on a Ryan Hernandez single to left . . . Two batters later, Will Pendergrass snuck a single through the right side and the Cougars had a threat mounting . . . But a double play started by the shortstop ended the inning.

Tulane played small-ball in the sixth and took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice bunt after two singles started the inning and a sacrifice bunt put runners in scoring position.

Hernandez hit a two-out solo home run to left-center in the seventh to tie the game on a 0-1 pitch.

The Green Wave countered with a two-out solo home run of their own in the seventh to take the lead again.

Tulane went to the bullpen with one out in the eighth, but the Cougars fate was the same: stymied by solid pitching.

Tulane added two more runs in the eighth as they go to Gasser late, he exited after 7 1/3 innings and ten strike outs . . . Ben Sears took the mound with a runner on second and eventually ended the inning without further damage.

Tulane shut down Houston in the ninth to claim the 4-1 victory . . . Hernandez (2-for-3) was the only Cougar with multiple hits, he had two of the Cougars four hits.

The Cougars will return to action on Wednesday in Clearwater, they will face the loser of tonight’s game between South Florida and Wichita State . . . First pitch will be 47 minutes after the final out of the game that starts at 2pm CT . . . Expect to see Jaycob Deese on the mound for Houston as they seek to continue their season with a win. –

Cougars Preparing for Clearwater, Drop Two in Orlando

With four regular season games left that will not have an effect on the conference tournament match-ups next week, the Houston Cougars opened up a weekend series in Orlando, Florida on Florida . . . In facing the University of Central Florida Knights, Houston wanted to remain healthy, and they wanted their pitching staff primed and ready to go when the action gets underway in Clearwater on Tuesday when the American Athletic Conference tournament opens.

Robert Gasser took the mound on Thursday knowing a pitch count was in effect, no matter what.

With one out in the second, Brandon Uhse drew a walk, and stole second a few pitches later . . . One out later, Samuel Tormos delivered a single to right on the first pitch he saw, Uhse was safe at home on a throw to the first base side of home plate and the Cougars led 1-0.

After two innings, and twenty-eight pitches, Gasser was finished for the day having not allowed a run in his brief outing . . . Jaycob Deese took the mound in the third after having missed all of last weekend with a hamstring injury.

The Knights took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on a three-run home run to left field, but Deese looked good in his outing otherwise, spotting good fastballs and countering with some filthy breaking pitches throughout.

Deese worked into the seventh inning, exiting with two outs in favor of Maddux Miller . . . Miller worked the rest of the way for the Cougars, keeping the Knights from scoring in the final 1 1/3 innings.

The Cougars were kept off of the scoreboard after the run in the second, and they fell in game one by a final of 3-1.

Ben Sears took the mound for Houston with a different mission that Gasser and Deese had in the first game . . . Sears would be allowed to throw a seemingly regular outing because he will not be pitching as soon as the Gasser and Deese will be early next week.

The Knights got a run off of Sears in the first, but the run was unearned, nonetheless, they led 1-0 going to the second.

While Sears was cruising, Houston did not get its first base hit in game two until the sixth inning when Ian McMillian hit a one out single to center field.

Sears departed after six innings, having allowed just one unearned run to go with three hits and three strikeouts . . . Central Florida added a run on a one out base hit in the seventh increasing their lead to 2-0.

Tormos singled with two outs in the eighth . . . Ian McMillan singled to center, the center fielder mis-played the ball by diving for it and the miscue allowed Tormos to score from first to close the deficit to 2-1 . . . But the scoring ended there and the Cougars were defeated by that 2-1 final in game two.

The Cougars and the Knights return to action Saturday with first pitching at 5pm . . . Carter Henry will make the start for Houston. –

Cougars, Gasser Take Game One; Split in Memphis

A classic, well-pitched game was followed by a lopsided affair as the Memphis Tigers hosted the Houston Cougars for a Friday doubleheader at FedEx Park . . . Houston took game one 2-1, while Memphis ran away with game two 13-7.

Robert Gasser had the ball for the Cougars and he worked his way the Tigers lineup with relative ease through the first three innings.

The Cougars scored their first run in the fourth when a single to right field by Steven Rivas scored Tyler Bielamowicz from second base for a 1-0 lead.

Memphis tied the game in their half of the fourth when a fielding error at short allowed the tying run to score.

Still tied in the seventh, after one-out singles by Rivas (3-for-4) and Will Pendergrass (2-for-3), Ian McMillan (2-for-3) doubled off the wall in left to score Rivas from second and put the Cougars in front 2-1.

Despite minor threats the rest of the way, including a bases loaded no-outs situation for the Cougars in the top of the ninth, no more runs would cross the plate.

Derrick Cherry took over on the mound to begin the eighth and he got the final six outs, despite a couple of deep flies (one foul, one caught in left) to save the game for Gasser and pick up his fourth save of the season as the Cougars took game one . . . Cherry struck out two batters in the ninth.

Gasser improved to 6-5 with his seven innings pitched, allowing no earned runs and only three hits with ten strikeouts.

Before Ben Sears even took the mound for the Cougars in game two, he was spotted with a 2-0 after a two-RBI triple in the top of the first with two outs by Rivas.

But a home run by Hunter Goodman tied the game at two in the bottom of the first and it was a brand new ballgame.

A one-out double in the second put the Tigers in front 4-2.

Rivas (10) led off the fourth with a two-run home run to get the Cougars to within 4-3 . . . Pendergrass immediately followed with a double and he was brought home when Dylan Post doubled off the wall in right to tie the game at four.

Sears loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth without recording an out, aided by a fielding error behind him . . . Sears would exit at that point and Colby Casey would take the mound in a difficult situation . . . Casey induced a fly-out to right in which one unearned run crossed the plate, and then we would retire the next two batters to escape the inning and with the Tigers leading 5-4.

Brad Burckel led off the fifth with a single down the right field line and then he stole second base to get into scoring position . . . Ryan Hernandez (9) hit a one out two-run home run to left to give the Cougars a 6-5 lead.

Colby Casey helped the game along with two solid innings pitched in his fifth appearance of the season for Houston . . . Casey did not allow a run and his ERA on the year remains 0.00 . . . Skyler Trevino collected his first collegiate hit in the sixth inning when he connected on a one-out double.

The Tigers wrestled the lead back in the seventh on a walk, a triple, and a wild pitch as they took the 7-6 lead . . . At that point the Tigers broke the game open, scoring a total of eight runs in the frame taking a 13-6 lead into the eighth inning.

Patrick Dunn took the mound for the eighth and pitched a three up, three down frame, striking out two . . . It was Dunn’s first appearance since March 13 at Texas State.

The Cougars plated one more run on an innocent ground out to first base in the top of the ninth, but that was all they would get as they fell 13-7 in game two.

The Cougars and the Tigers will do it all over again tomorrow at 2pm in Memphis . . . Carter Henry will take the mound for Houston. –

Houston Drops Two as Tulane Continues Hot Streak

Three notable streaks were on the line as the Houston Cougars traveled to Turchin Stadium in New Orleans for a four-game American Athletic Conference (AAC) set this weekend with the Tulane Green Wave.

Tulane as a team entered play with a ten game winning streak . . . Tulane leadoff hitter Collin Burns entered with a seventeen game hitting streak . . . And catcher Bennett Lee entered with a sixteen game hitting streak.

There was also a great pitching matchup to open the weekend between Tulane’s Braden Olthoff and Houston’s Robert Gasser, two premiere pitchers not only in the AAC, but in all of college baseball.

Lefty Robert Gasser retired Collin Burns to open the bottom of the first before three straight singles plated the first run of the game, and Tulane led 1-0.

Houston did not get its first hit off of Olthoff until the fourth inning, the first of only five hits in the game. Meanwhile, Gasser was cruising as well, striking out eight as he went six complete innings and left trailing 1-0.

The Green Wave added two runs in the seventh off of Houston relief pitching, including the final run on a bases loaded walk that made it 3-0.

After a scoreless eighth for Olthoff, Tulane went to the bullpen to close out Houston in the ninth for the 3-0 five-hit shutout win . . . Gasser and the Cougars bullpen were able to end Burns’s hitting streak at seventeen games.

Houston struck first in Friday’s second game when they scored a run in the top of first on a Ryan Hernandez bloop single into right that brought Brad Burckel home from second . . . The Cougars added a run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Luke Almendarez to score Will Pendergrass and give the Cougars a 2-0 advantage.

In the third, Tyler Bielamowicz lined a one-out triple to right-center and he was brought home moments later on a Ryan Hernandez single into center to put the Cougars in front 3-0.

Tulane plated a run in the third off Houston starter Jaycob Deese to get back in the game.

Tulane’s starter left the game with one out in the sixth and two Cougars on base . . . Houston added a run moments later on a bizarre play at the plate on a wild pitch allowing Dylan Post to score and extend the Cougars lead to 4-1 . . . Post broke for home on a wild pitch, but the pitch ricocheted quickly back to Tulane’s catcher and he recovered the ball and raced back to the plate as Post went right at Hastings, but he snuck his left leg around the catcher and managed to touch home plate before he was tagged.

The Green Wave got a two-run home run in the sixth to get to within one at 4-3 . . . Collin Burns tied the contest at four in the seventh with a one-out home run to straight-away center field . . . Deese went 6 1/3 innings in a solid outing before exiting, but the game got away from the Cougars at that point. A few pitches later, a liner down the first base line drove in Tulane’s go-ahead run at 5-4.

The Green Wave scored six runs in the eighth while they scored ten unanswered runs overall and led 11-4.

Tulane closed out the contest in the ninth while extending their win streak to twelve games.

The two teams return to Turchin Stadium on Saturday with first pitch coming at 4pm . . . Ben Sears will take the mound for Houston. –

Cougars Split Weekend Opener with South Florida

Robert Gasser delivers a first pitch strike on Saturday at Schroeder Park

After Friday’s weather altered the weekend series between the Houston Cougars and the South Florida Bulls, a cloudless sky greeted the two teams on a warm Saturday afternoon that saw the teams split a doubleheader . . . The Cougars took the opening game 9-2, but dropped the second game 8-4 in ten innings.

Houston starter Robert Gasser allowed a run in the second inning as the Bulls took an early 1-0 lead . . . The Cougars offense got on the board in the fourth on an Ian McMillan single that plated two and put Houston in front 2-1 . . . McMillan was 3-for-4 in the contest and is joined by Brad Burckel as the only Cougars with multiple hits in game one . . . After the Bulls tied the game in the top of the fifth, the Cougars quickly re-took the lead 3-2 after a Brad Burckel triple was followed by a Ryan Hernandez single.

Still leading 3-2 in the seventh, the offense scored six runs highlighted by a Will Pendergrass grand slam off the scoreboard in right, his sixth home run of the year, which gave Houston a 9-2 lead.

Robert Gasser completed eight innings and exited having thrown 114 pitches allowing six hits and striking out seven . . . Maddux Miller came in and got the final three outs to secure the victory for Gasser, who improved to 5-3 on the year.

Jaycob Deese got the start in game two and after a scoreless opening inning, his offense started building some support behind him.

Brad Burckel walked with one out in the first, he subsequently stole second and third, and then scored on a wild pitch for an early 1-0 lead . . . In the second, three straight singles to start the frame added two runs to the Cougars tally as Ian McMillan drove home a run and Dylan Post plated one on a sacrifice fly to left and the Cougars led 3-0.

Deese struggled in the third, allowing a three-run home run to tie the game, but he settled down and went seven strong innings, striking out six, and retiring the final ten batters he faced before giving way to Derrick Cherry for the eighth . . . Cherry tossed scoreless eighth and ninth innings and the Houston offense had a chance to walk the game off in the ninth when Tyler Bielamowicz and Steven Rivas both singled to start the inning, but two pop-ups and a strikeout left the runners in place.

The game went to extra innings and as has sometimes been the custom this season, both teams were able to start the inning with a runner on second base . . . The Bulls took advantage of two defensive miscues in the inning to score five runs (all unearned) and take a commanding 8-3 lead into the bottom of the tenth . . . The Cougars were able to score their runner from second but nothing more even though they loaded the bases and had the tying run at the plate, they fell 8-4.

The Cougars are now 14-19 overall and 2-8 in American Athletic competition . . . The Cougars had relatively good offensive balance in both games, where seven of the nine spots got base hits and each spot got on base at least once, one way of the other, aside from the nine spot in game one.

The Cougars and the Bulls will return to action early on Saturday with first pitch at Schroeder Park scheduled for 10am . . . Game one on Sunday will only last seven innings, and a second game will be played 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one. –

Cougars Drop Two in Wichita on Friday

Will Pendergrass bats in game two Friday in Wichita

The Wichita State Shockers welcomed the Houston Cougars to Wichita, Kansas on Friday with two sound conference wins in a day-night double-header that the Shockers took by scores of 10-2 and 7-1.

Jaycob Deese got the start in game one on Friday and Deese was scoreless through four but ran into trouble in the fifth . . . The Shockers plated six in an inning where nothing went right for Houston, from bad luck and bad hops to odd plays that never felt right . . . Lefty Cameron Prayer entered the game with one out and the bases loaded he got one groundout that allowed a sixth run to cross the plate, but he got a flyout to end the inning as the Shockers took a 6-0 lead into the sixth.

In the sixth, Dylan Post reached base on a one-out single into right-center . . . Brandon Uhse followed with a walk . . . With two outs, Ryan Hernandez powered a single into left-center that plated Post . . . Tyler Bielamowicz followed with a run-scoring single to cut the deficit to 6-2 going to the bottom of the sixth.

The Shockers continued to pad their lead on Cougars pitchers Maddux Miller and Tristen Bayless eventually taking a 10-2 lead and final score in game one.

The Cougars mustered just six hits in game one, two of those were by Brad Burckel, who was the only Cougar with multiple hits in the game as he went 2-for-3 in the loss.

Robert Gasser took the mound in game two and the story of game two was much the same as the story of game one, the Shockers scored plenty while the Cougars offense scuffled.

Things started well for the Cougars as Brad Burckel worked a one-out walk, and after reaching second on a fielder’s choice, a wild pitch moved Brad to third, and another wild pitch allowed him to score and give the Cougars an early 1-0 advantage to end the top half of the first . . . But that would be the Cougars only run of the night.

The Cougars offense could not get anything going against Shockers starter Liam Eddy in game two . . . Aside from two hits, the last coming in the third, Eddy retired sixteen straight batters to close out his eight innings of work before giving way to the Wichita State bullpen for the ninth . . . Steven Rivas added a single in the ninth, but that would be all for the Cougars as they fell 7-1 in the nightcap.

Andy Belcik pitched 1/3 of an inning in relief of Gasser who went 6 2/3 innings . . . Dravin Barber got in two innings of work and allowed just one run as rain fell and the wind howled . . . Tyler Bielamowicz exited game one with an apparent back injury after making a defensive play and he did not play in game two.

The two squads return to action in Wichita on Saturday . . . Carter Henry will make his second consecutive weekend start after a tremendous outing last Friday . . . First pitch takes place at 2pm. –