Photo by Keith Allison 
Yesterday (June 25, 2018), 34-year-old right-hander Edwin Jackson started on the mound for the Oakland A’s in Detroit. Jackson pitched well, giving up just six hits and one run over six innings, while fanning seven – and he made a bit of history along the way. In his sixteenth major league season, Jackson was playing for his thirteenth team – tying Octavio Dotel for the most MLB teams played for in a career. Jackson’s collection of uniforms includes: The Dodgers, Rays, Tigers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Cardinals, Nationals, Cubs, Braves, Marlins, Padres, Orioles and A’s.
In Their Many Travels, Their Paths Did Briefly Cross
Edwin Jackson and Octavio Dotel – MLB’s most traveled players – were on the same team during the second half of the 2011 season. It came about thanks to some unusual transactions. On July 27 of that season, Jackson (then with the White Sox) was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays (along with Mark Teahen) for Jason Fraser and Zack Stewart – joining Octavio Dotel (kind of) on the Toronto roster. The two, however, never played together for the Blue Jays. On that same day, they were traded together (along with Corey Patterson and Marc Rzepczynski) from the Jays to the St. Louis Cardinals (where Jackson and Dotel became teammates). Gong to the Jays were Colby Rasmus,Trevor Miller, Brian Tallet and P.J. Walters. Jackson and Dotel were both granted free agency after the 2011 season. Jackson signed with the Natoinals for 2012, Dotel with the Tigers.
While BBRT acknowledges Jackson’s longevity and piece of the “most MLB teams played for” record, I’m actually more interested in a game Jackson pitched on a different June 25. On June 25, 2010, Jackson pitched one of the most unlikely no-hitters ever twirled.
Jackson and his Diamondbacks were facing the Rays in Tampa Bay. Jackson, in his eighth MLB season, was already playing for his fourth MLB team. Ironically, he had been traded away from the Tigers after his only All Star campaign (2009, when he put up a 13-9, 3.62) record for the Bengals.
Jackson got off to a slow start for Arizona and came into the June 25, 2010, game with a 4-6 record and a 5.05 earned run average on the season. That day in Tampa Bay, however, he was unhittable – and unscored upon. Still, despite the 1-0 final score, it wasn’t a classic gem of a no-no.
In his June 25, 2010 no-hitter, Edwin Jackson threw 149 pitches (79 strikes) – acknowledged as the highest total ever in a no-hit game.
Here are just a few facts about Jackson no-hitter – one that no one saw coming, particularly after the first three frames.
- Jackson started the game with an earned run average (on the season) north of 5.00.
- Jackson went to a three-ball count on the first four batters he faced – walking two.
- Jackson also walked two more in the second inning and walked the bases full with no one out in the third.
- In the first three innings, Jackson threw 70 pitches.
Jackson’s no-hitter stat line of nine innings pitched, zero runs, eight walks, one hit batter and six strikeouts is identical to the no-hitter – reportedly pitched while high on LSD – fashioned by the Pirates’ Dock Ellis in a 2-0 win over the Padres on June 12, 1970.
- For the game, Jackson walked eight and hit a batter – and the Rays left nine runners on base.
- Over his nine innings, Jackson went to a three-ball count on 13 of the 36 batters he faced.
- It was Jackson’s first – and, ultimately, only – complete game of the 2010 season.
Side note: Just five week after his no-hitter, Jackson was traded from the Diamondbacks to the White Sox.
The record for walks allowed in nine-inning no-hitter is nine, by the Marlins’ A.J. Burnett in a 3-0 no-hit win over the Padres on May 12, 2001. Jim Maloney did walk ten in a no-hitter (August 19, 1965), but he tossed ten no-hit frames as his Reds topped the Cubs 1-0.
Primary Resource: Baseball-Reference.com
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Member: Society for American Baseball Research; The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
