Dave Gassner had a chance to make what ballplayers call "real" money overseas. Taiwan called. And while nobody matches what the major leagues offer, Taiwan has bigger paydays than any independent league in the States.

So Gassner hopped a flight halfway around the world. He arrived after a 20-hour flight to find no teammates.

No interpreter.

No friends.

His team was on a road trip. He knew it would get better. But he didn't like how it felt to be so far away from his wife and 1-year-old daughter.

So he changed plans. After four days in Taiwan, he came home. And the left-handed starting pitcher joined the Atlantic League.

The York Revolution have been playing better ever since.

Gassner continued to throw an assortment of baffling off-speed stuff, leading York to a 6-1 victory against Newark at Sovereign Bank Stadium. Such a performance has been typical in his three May starts. He's allowed three runs and has walked just one batter in 20 innings.

He throws a slider, curve and change to complement his two-seam sinking fastball. No team has been able to hurt him, and only Somerset -- with two earned runs -- has been able to beat him.

After going 1-6 on its most

recent road trip, York (7-10) needed Gassner (1-1).

"I like everything he does," York manager Chris Hoiles said. "(York's players) love it when he pitches because he throws strikes."

And he works fast.

Gassner didn't strike out a batter, but he also

didn't walk a batter. Newark (8-9) posted seven hits in his eight innings, but other than the back-to-back hits he surrendered in the sixth, Newark never really had an offensive threat.

And that rally was snuffed out when right fielder Jason Aspito relayed a throw to second baseman Keoni

DeRenne who threw out Ramon Castro at the plate. Aspito added another outfield assist in the ninth, gunning down Randall Simon, who tried to stretch a single into a double.

Struggling offensively with a .231 batting average, Aspito is trying to fight through a slump.

"Defensively you try harder," he said. "You want your teammates to know you're out there battling."

Despite entering the game as the worst hitting team in the league, the Revolution showed signs of improvement. Third baseman Matt Padgett has a six-game hitting streak, doubling in each of his last three games. And designated hitter Matt Dryer has scored nine runs in his last six games, making a conscious effort to see more pitches -- and work deeper into counts.

After staking a three-run lead, Gassner had a cushion. Although Castro tagged Gassner for a solo homer in the eighth, that was the best the defending league champs could do.

A seven-year pro out of Purdue, Gassner looks comfortable pitching to contact.

"I'm not a strikeout guy," Gassner said.

Gassner underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in 2006, one year after appearing in two games for the Minnesota Twins. He felt a need to throw harder after the surgery, pressured by what he heard around baseball circles. Trouble followed. He struck out 83 in 26 starts at Triple-A Rochester last season and posted a 4.95 ERA, but he didn't like the way he threw.

"Nobody seems to like slow-throwing lefties," Gassner said. "But I have no soreness, no pain. I can go out and get people out."

And he's closer to the family he left behind. He walked around the locker room with his shoulder wrapped, and his daughter in his arms. Teammates waved at her and stuck baseball caps on top of her head.

He's back here because he wants to be.

"I didn't want to go through life thinking, 'What if?'" Gassner said.