David K. Gassner (born December 14, 1978) is a former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. Gassner is a 1997 graduate of Hortonville High School in

Hortonville, Wisconsin Hortonville is a village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,028 at the 2020 census. Hortonville is located in the Fox Cities region and the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI CSA, the third largest metropolitan area ...

and 2002 graduate of

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

with a degree in

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

Career

Gassner played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Purdue Boilermakers The Purdue Boilermakers are the official college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname ...

from 1998–2001. He was selected by

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in the 2001 amateur entry draft, and played in their minor league organization from through On December 15, 2003, Gassner was sent to the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

to complete a trade made on July 16, 2003 where the Blue Jays sent

Shannon Stewart Shannon Stewart may refer to: *Shannon Stewart (baseball) Shannon Harold Stewart (born February 25, 1974) is an American former professional baseball outfielder with the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics of Major League Bas ...

and a player to be named later (Gassner) to the Twins for

Bobby Kielty Robert Michael Kielty (last name pronounced KELT-ee) (born August 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Boston Red Sox during a Major League B ...

. Gassner spent the entire season with the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. On April 16, 2005 made his major league debut for the Twins against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

getting the win by pitching 6 innings giving up only one

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

. Gassner was to have only one more start for the Twins, spending most of the season with the Rochester Red Wings. Gassner missed the majority of the season with a left elbow strain and spent the entire season with the Rochester Red Wings where he compiled a 6-12 record and a 4.95

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. Gassner started the season playing for the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Basebal ...

of the

Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

, but on June 6, 2008 he was signed to a minor league contract by the Boston Red Sox and assigned to the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

. On June 7 Gassner made his first start for the Sea Dogs against the

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,63 ...

earning a no

decision Decision may refer to: Law and politics *Judgment (law), as the outcome of a legal case *Landmark decision, the outcome of a case that sets a legal precedent * ''Per curiam'' decision, by a court with multiple judges Books * ''Decision'' (novel) ...

after pitching 5 innings, allowing 6

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

s and 2 earned runs. He became a free agent at the end of the season. Gassner signed with the

of the

for the 2009 season. He retired on August 26, 2009.

Awards and recognition

* 2001 – Big Ten Conference All-Star SP * 2003 – Eastern League (AA) All-Star and League ERA Leader. * 2004 – Triple-A All-Star SP * 2007 –

Pitcher of the Week

After baseball life

In 2010, Gassner was named head coach of the Appleton West varsity baseball team in

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton () is the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, with small portions extending into Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet and Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago counties. Located on the Fox River (Green Bay tributary ...

. He is also a substitute teacher in the fields of science and mathematics for the Appleton Area School District.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gassner, David 1978 births Living people Minnesota Twins players Baseball players from Wisconsin Major League Baseball pitchers New Haven Ravens players Rochester Red Wings players Portland Sea Dogs players Purdue Boilermakers baseball players York Revolution players People from Hortonville, Wisconsin Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players Charleston AlleyCats players Dunedin Blue Jays players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tennessee Smokies players