How many pitchers in baseball history pitched for the Red Sox, Cardinals, Giants, and Yankees?
Yes, just one. This guy. Lynn McGlothen.
(The only non-pitchers who played for all four franchises were Dick Schofield and Jack Clark.)
And, in addition, McGlothen also pitched for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox.
Only David Aardsma, Tom “Flash” Gordon, and ol’ Lynn McGlothen pitched for the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, and Yankees. (David Aardsma pitched a grand total of one game for the Yankees in 2012. He pitched one inning and gave up one hit, one walk, and one run. He also had one strikeout.)
McGlothen pitched in four times as many games as Aardsma for the Yankees appearing in four games as a Yankee in 1982 to close out his eleven-year career.
McGlothen only appeared in Yankee pinstripes once, as three of his four appearances came on the road. The only time he pitched as a Yankee in Yankee Stadium was on August 16 in a game the Yankees won 4-3 over the Kansas City Royals.
In that game, McGlothen came in relief of Rudy May in the top of the 8th inning. The first batter McGlothen faced, Hal McRae, hit a two-run homer to cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-3. McGlothen then got Amos Otis to fly out to end the inning and his own career as a Yankee in pinstripes. He would pitch twice in Milwaukee, in September – both in games the Yankees lost.
In 1974, McGlothen had been an All-Star pitching to a 16-12, 2.69 record for the St. Louis Cardinals. Unfortunately, by the time he was a Yankee, those glory days were well behind him.
