MILWAUKEE (AP) —
It’s been a long road to the major leagues for Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Taylor Rashi.
On Thursday, it all paid off as the 29-year-old made his debut in spectacular fashion, pitching three scoreless innings against the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers to earn a save in Arizona's 6-4 win.
And, like his career path, it didn’t come easy. With a crowd of more than 35,000 standing and cheering, Christian Yelich, who came on as a pinch-hitter, made his way to the plate with two runners on and two outs in the ninth, representing the winning run.
After some tense moments, Rashi got Yelich to ground out to end the game.
“It was cool. It was a lot,” said Rashi, who toiled in the minors for six years before getting the call-up. “I wasn’t really nervous until I got on the mound. I think the nerves set in a little bit there. I was a little bit shaky today. Not my normal self, but you’ve got to find a way.”
And having to face Yelich only added to the drama for Rashi, who arrived in Milwaukee a day earlier from Triple-A Reno.
“I told myself if you want to be the best you’ve got to beat the best and he’s one of the best hitters in the game,” Rahsi said.
Rashi faced a bit of adversity as soon as he came on in the seventh. Two runners reached, but he struck out Andrew Vaughn swinging and caught Isaac Collins looking to end the inning.
Teammates greeted Rashi with a boisterous celebration in the clubhouse.
“It’s a story of perseverance and believing,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
Rashi said doubt began to set in at times, especially when dealing with injuries.
“It’s been hard,” he said. “There were times there going through rehab where I said I don’t know if this is worth it. But this made it all worth it.”
Lovullo said the Diamondbacks' bullpen had few fresh arms on Thursday, so he turned to Rashi.
“Basically, everybody was down in the bullpen,” he said. “On a day when we needed it most, he blocked all that out. To me, he was oblivious to what was going on around him. He just made pitches and got a massive, massive save for us. He just happened to get their best player to get the final out and he didn’t blink. At that point, it was his game to win our lose.”
Lovullo broke into a smile when talking about Rashi’s day.
“It’s an organizational success story,” he said. “You’ve got a group of coaches in Triple-A who were pounding the table for him. You’ve got player development staff pounding the table for him. And he comes up here and does his job. It’s a great moment for the organization and for him.”
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Taylor Rashi throws during the eighth inning of his major league debut in a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Taylor Rashi winds up to throw during the eighth inning of his major league debut in a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Taylor Rashi throws during the eighth inning of his major league debut in a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.
Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. Several European partners — including France, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — started sending symbolic numbers of troops already on Wednesday or promised to do so in the following days.
The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.
“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.
Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.
On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland” but that dialogue with the U.S. would continue at a high level over the following weeks.
Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the U.S. would go on and European support was becoming visible.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the continuation of “dialogue and diplomacy.”
“Greenland is not for sale,” he said Thursday. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, local residents told The Associated Press they were glad the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials had taken place but suggested it left more questions than answers.
Several people said they viewed Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the goal is to deter a U.S. move against the island.
Maya Martinsen, 21, said it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is a part of Denmark and NATO.
The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”
On Wednesday, Poulsen announced a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”
“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.
Asked whether the European troop movements were coordinated with NATO or what role the U.S.-led military alliance might play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to the Danish authorities. However, NATO is currently studying ways to bolster security in the Arctic.
The Russian embassy in Brussels on Thursday lambasted what it called the West's “bellicose plans” in response to “phantom threats that they generate themselves”. It said the planned military actions were part of an “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda” by NATO.
“Russia has consistently maintained that the Arctic should remain a territory of peace, dialogue and equal cooperation," the embassy said.
Rasmussen announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to work through differences.
“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.
Commenting on the outcome of the Washington meeting on Thursday, Poulsen said the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction.” He added nevertheless that the dialogue with the U.S. did not mean “the danger has passed.”
Speaking on Thursday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the American ambition to take over Greenland remains intact despite the Washington meeting, but she welcomed the creation of the working group.
The most important thing for Greenlanders is that they were directly represented at the meeting in the White House and that “the diplomatic dialogue has begun now,” Juno Berthelsen, a lawmaker for the pro-independence Naleraq opposition party, told AP.
A relationship with the U.S. is beneficial for Greenlanders and Americans and is “vital to the security and stability of the Arctic and the Western Alliance,” Berthelsen said. He suggested the U.S. could be involved in the creation of a coastguard for Greenland, providing funding and creating jobs for local people who can help to patrol the Arctic.
Line McGee, 38, from Copenhagen, told AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she said. “But I feel slightly better than I did yesterday.”
Trump, in his Oval Office meeting with reporters, said: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”
Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
People walk on a street in Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
From center to right, Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, Denmark's Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, rear, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, right, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with senators from the Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP)
Fishermen load fishing lines into a boat in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
