Justin Verlander Becomes the 21st Pitcher in MLB History to Get a Win Over All 30 Teams

Justin Verlander Becomes the 21st Pitcher in MLB History to Get a Win Over All 30 Teams

12 May, 2023

Justin Verlander of the Mets becomes the 21st pitcher in MLB to triumph over all 30 opponents.

It was Verlander’s 245th career victory and his first with the Mets. He also achieved a first-ever victory over the Reds. Given how long he spent in the American League (his whole career until joining the Mets), it was only Verlander’s third career start against the Reds, but it was still his first victory over Cincinnati.

“Any time you do something that not many people have done in this game, it’s pretty cool,” Verlander told MLB.com about beating all 30 teams.

Every team will play every other team at least once a year thanks to a new, more equitable MLB schedule that went into effect this season. As a result, current pitchers will have considerably more chances than the pitchers on that list, who were subject to the rotating interleague schedule, to face and defeat all 30 teams. Only once every three years did they play opponents from the opposite league.

The Mets and Verlander, the current AL Cy Young Award winner, agreed to a two-year, $86.6 million deal in the offseason. He made his second start for New York on Wednesday after missing the beginning of the season due to a significant muscular issue. For the foreseeable future, Verlander has the best chance of becoming a 300-win pitcher and is a lock for the Hall of Fame.

With a record of 18-19, the Mets are tied for third in the NL East. They are seven games behind the Atlanta Braves, who are in first place. Prior to Wednesday night, New York had dropped 12 of its previous 15 games, with the majority of those defeats coming at the hands of underdogs.Verlander became the 21st pitcher in history to triumph against all 30 teams with his victory over the Reds on Wednesday. This goes back to when the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks first entered the league in 1998. The 21 pitchers are listed here, along with the day they defeated their 30th team.