Yup, no harm done...was just curious if there was something else unique about the feat.

There is a vignette in one of Roger Angell's books (Late Innings) about a similar trivia question...

As of opening day 1979, there were only two pitchers who had beaten all 26 active MLB teams. Can you name them?

As it happens, both were active at the time, but that's not too surprising as MLB had only expanded to 26 as of 1977.

1979 is a bit more difficult to have accomplished that feat in, since there was no interleague play. You had to have moved from one league to another.

hmm.

Dock Ellis and Ferguson Jenkins?

Ellis and Jenkins are both excellent guesses.

Both are incorrect for the same reason. As of the start of '79, each had only pitched for 1 NL team (Pirates in Ellis's case, Cubs in Fergie's case).

So if you think about it, in order to have accomplished this feat, you need to have pitched for at least 2 AL teams and 2 NL teams (as of the start of the 1979 season, which rules out Nolan Ryan for instance). And of course a long career.

One I expect everyone will get with a little thought. He is a hall of famer. The second may take a little time, so I will give a hint if no one gets him soon.

Is the non-HOFer Ken Holtzman?

Or Tommy John?

No, like Fergie, Holtzman's only NL stints were with the Cubs. John's only NL club was the Dodgers.

And the HOFer is Don Sutton?

No, Sutton at that point had onlly pitched for LA, and had never seen time in the AL.

Posted by contrarian23 on 5/12/2016 4:32:00 PM (view original):
Ellis and Jenkins are both excellent guesses.

Both are incorrect for the same reason. As of the start of '79, each had only pitched for 1 NL team (Pirates in Ellis's case, Cubs in Fergie's case).

So if you think about it, in order to have accomplished this feat, you need to have pitched for at least 2 AL teams and 2 NL teams (as of the start of the 1979 season, which rules out Nolan Ryan for instance). And of course a long career.

One I expect everyone will get with a little thought. He is a hall of famer. The second may take a little time, so I will give a hint if no one gets him soon.

One of the Neikro's and Gaylord Perry?

John Candeleria?

I like the Gaylord Perry guess.

Perry is indeed correct. He is the HOFer who did it.

Perry played several seasons in the AL, for both Cleveland and Texas. And after many years in the NL with the Giants in the 60s, he returned to the NL with the Padres in 1978, won the Cy Young, and in the process defeated San Francisco for his 26th vanquished opponent.

Keep in mind the timing of the question...as of the start of the 1979 season. Obviously others did it subsequently, including (I assume) some of the other names mentioned so far.

But as of opening day 1979, only 1 other pitcher had done it, and he has not been named.

Here's a hint: he has a decent argument for having had the greatest single game performance of any player in MLB history.

Gaylord Perry definitely feels like a good guess.

I just drafted him in a prog and he's all over the place.

Sounds like Rick Wise