Major league pitchers beating all 30 teams

Since 1998, there have been 30 teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). It is very rare for a pitcher to record a win against every team. In earlier times, two factors made it nearly impossible to defeat all teams in both leagues (even before expansion increased the number to 30):

• Before the era of free-agency, in which players are free to move to another team at the end of their contract, a pitcher would play for only a few teams, and could not, of course, win a game against his own team.
• Before inter-league play began in June 1997, a pitcher would see only half of the 30 teams in any single season, unless traded to a team in the other league. Even with inter-league play, a pitcher may not have his spot in a typical 5-man rotation match the games in the single 3- or 4-game series against another team, and only a few teams from the other league are played in any season.

In any case, defeating all teams is more likely only if a pitcher has a long career. Assuming that good health and rotation timing allows a top notch pitcher to beat every one of his team's opponents in a season, it will still only be 19-20 teams (14 intraleague and 5 or 6 interleague), unless he is traded. It is far more likely that his wins will come against 10 to 12 teams, most of which he has already beaten.

As of October 1, 2019, there have been 19 pitchers who have beaten all 30 teams. Only 14 teams have had a pitcher accomplish the feat while on their roster, with the San Francisco Giants the only franchise to have three pitchers accomplished the feat with them: Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, and Tim Hudson.

Notes

As of August 10, 2020, six active pitchers have defeated 29 teams.

• Ervin Santana - has not defeated the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Francisco Liriano - has not defeated the Miami Marlins.
• J.A. Happ - has not defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Jon Lester - has not defeated the Boston Red Sox.
• Edwin Jackson - has not defeated the Atlanta Braves.
• Aníbal Sánchez - has not defeated the Los Angeles Angels.

As of August 10, 2020, nine active pitchers have defeated 28 teams.

• Jake Arrieta - has not defeated the Chicago Cubs or Seattle Mariners.
• Justin Verlander - has not defeated the Cincinnati Reds or Miami Marlins.
• Cole Hamels - has not defeated the Philadelphia Phillies or Toronto Blue Jays.
• Ricky Nolasco - has not defeated the Cleveland Indians or Miami Marlins.
• Wade Miley - has not defeated the New York Mets or New York Yankees.
• Charlie Morton - has not defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers or Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Jason Vargas - has not defeated the Milwaukee Brewers or New York Mets.
• Gerrit Cole - has not defeated the Houston Astros or Tampa Bay Rays.
• Iván Nova - has not defeated the Colorado Rockies or Seattle Mariners.

As of August 10, 2020, five active pitchers have defeated 27 teams.

• Gio González - has not defeated the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, or Washington Nationals.
• Rick Porcello - has not defeated the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, or San Diego Padres.
• Ian Kennedy - has not defeated the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, or Toronto Blue Jays.
• Jordan Zimmermann - has not defeated the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, or Washington Nationals.
• Lance Lynn - has not defeated the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, or Texas Rangers (current team).

As of August 10, 2020, two active pitchers have defeated 26 teams.

• Edinson Vólquez - has not defeated the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, or Toronto Blue Jays.
• Trevor Cahill - has not defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, or New York Mets.