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MLB journeyman pitcher ties record by playing for his 13th team

Chris Cwik
Staff writer

Edwin Jackson and Johnny Cash have something in common: They’ve been everywhere, man. With Jackson’s start for the Oakland Athletics on Monday, he officially suited up for his 13th team. That mark ties the Major League Baseball record.

How did Edwin Jackson tie the record?

The Athletics were desperate for starting pitchers, so the team picked up Jackson after he opted out of a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals. The A’s played a double-header on Friday, and needed someone to make a spot start to get their rotation back on normal rest. They decided to make the 34-year-old Jackson that man.

How did Edwin Jackson perform in his record-tying start?

Jackson did a great job against the Detroit Tigers on Monday. He held the team to just one earned run over six innings. Jackson struck out seven and did not allow any walks. The A’s went on to win the game 5-4, but Jackson received a no-decision for his efforts.

What are the 13 teams that have employed Edwin Jackson?

Edwin Jackson has played for the following teams:

• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Tampa Bay Devil Rays (they were the Devil Rays back then)
• Detroit Tigers
• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Chicago White Sox
• St. Louis Cardinals
• Washington Nationals
• Chicago Cubs
• Atlanta Braves
• Miami Marlins
• San Diego Padres
• Baltimore Orioles
• Oakland Athletics

That’s all 13. Use this to impress your friends … or something.

How did Edwin Jackson feel about tying the record?

Following the game, Jackson said it was good to be wanted by a team.

Who did Edwin Jackson tie for the record?

That would be reliever Octavio Dotel, who also played for 13 teams during his career. We won’t list them all here, but we will link off to them. See how many you can guess before clicking the link.

Why do teams keep signing Edwin Jackson?

Jackson has turned into the perfect 26th man. Teams no longer count on him to be a part of their rotation, but he’s the ideal candidate to make a random spot start or serve as a temporary injury replacement.

Prior to that, Jackson was a useful mid-to-backend rotation guy for a few seasons. He still moved around quite a bit during that period because he was frustrating. Jackson had tremendous stuff, but rarely harnessed it. Control and command played a big role in that. Jackson posted some high walk totals throughout his career.

When he was on, he could dominate. He threw a no-hitter for the Diamondbacks in 2010. Even that performance showed some of his flaws, as Jackson walked eight batters.

Is this a record people should care about?

Yes and no. The fact that Jackson moved around so much in his career tells you his teams never saw him as a major asset. He was always an available trade piece. And his numbers are fairly average.

With that said, teams still see some value in him. Other pitchers who might have been better than Jackson have washed out of the league by now. Jackson is not only still around, but is still considered good enough for the occasional major-league start.

Jackson must be doing something right, because it’s incredibly hard to survive 16 seasons in the majors.

Edwin Jackson tied a record by making a start for the Athletics on Monday. (AP Photo)
Edwin Jackson tied a record by making a start for the Athletics on Monday. (AP Photo)

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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