The right-handed pitcher appeared in 195 games in Major League Baseball during all or parts of seven seasons (1960–65; 1967) as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Athletics, Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves.

He worked in nine games, two as a starting pitcher, and lost his only decision, giving up 18 earned runs, 30 hits and 11 bases on balls in 22 innings pitched.

Rakow subsequently remained in the minor leagues for the remainder of his career, except for the 17 games he played with the Atlanta Braves during the latter weeks of the 1967 season.

He had allowed 771 hits and 304 bases on balls in 7611⁄3 big-league innings pitched, with 484 strikeouts, 20 complete games and five saves.

In 1989, at age 54, Rakow was a player-coach for the West Palm Beach Tropics of the Senior Professional Baseball Association.