On this date back in 2002, Mets left-hander Al Leiter became the first pitcher in major league history to beat all 30 major league teams at least once. By pitching in the expansion era (1998 was the first season with 30 MLB teams), by getting traded (Leiter pitched for 2 National League teams and 2 American League teams) and benefiting from inter-league play (he beat the Rays – then Devil Rays, while pitching for the Mets), Leiter became the first to accomplish the feat.
While he was the first, Leiter was certainly not the last to do it. There have now been 19 pitchers to accomplish the feat. Kevin Brown was the second in 2004 when pitching for the Yankees he beat the Devil Rays, and the most recent to join the group was Zack Greinke when he beat the Royals last September.
The chart below (via Hardball Times) shows when Al Leiter beat each of the teams for the first time:
Opponent First Win Brewers 9/15/1987 Orioles 9/25/1987 Jays 4/14/1988 Twins 4/19/1988 Angels 5/24/1988 Seattle 5/7/1993 Red Sox 6/17/1993 Royals 7/15/1993 W. Sox 7/21/1993 Yankees 9/25/1993 Indians 5/21/1994 Rangers 7/23/1994 A's 7/28/1995 Tigers 8/17/1995 Pirates 4/4/1996 Padres 4/9/1996 Dodgers 4/20/1996 Mets 5/6/1996 Rockies 5/11/1996 Reds 5/27/1996 Braves 6/28/1996 Astros 7/17/1996 Cards 8/29/1996 Expos 9/15/1996 Cubs 4/2/1997 Giants 6/2/1997 Phils 6/24/1997 Rays 6/10/1998 Marlins 6/21/1998 D-backs 4/30/2002
While he was in the right place at the right time, Leiter also had to be both a winning pitcher and have longevity in order to accomplish the feat. By pitching in 19 seasons, and winning 162 games in his career, Leiter certainly fit both criteria. This is especially surprising given that between 1989 through the 1992 seasons, Leiter won only 1 game due to a series of injuries and ineffectiveness when he was able to pitch in the majors.
However, in ten straight seasons, from 1995 to 2004, Leiter had at least 10 wins and a winning percentage of .500 or better.
Al Leiter was particularly effective against the Braves, with a 12-10 record and 2.62 ERA against them in his career. The 12 wins was the most he had against any club, tied with the Marlins, and the ERA was the second-lowest he had against any opponent. His ERA against the Pirates was an even 1.00, with a 5-1 lifetime record against the Pittsburgh ball club.
In his seven seasons in a Met uniform, Leiter’s record was 95-67 and his ERA was 3.42. At the time he left the Mets, he ranked highly on several Mets all-time lists including wins (6th), strikeouts (7th with 1,106), innings pitched (7th with 1360), and games started (6th with 213). He was the Mets Opening Day starting pitcher in 1999, 2001, and 2002, and was an All Star with the Mets in 2000.
As every team in baseball could attest, Al Leiter knew how to beat you.
LGM
