Jackson's father, Edwin Jackson Sr., served in the U.S. Army for 23 years, mostly as a cook. He retired as a sergeant first class in 1996. So Jackson spent his childhood moving from base to base—from Germany to Ohio to Louisiana and back to Germany before settling at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia.

In 2001, Edwin signed with Dodger scouts Lon Joyce and Jim Lester (who is now a scout with the Pirates) after the team drafted him in the 6th round. Lester first saw Jackson when he was a center fielder at Shaw High School in Columbus, Georgia.

Jackson was also the #3 starter behind Nick Long, then an Expos prospect, and Steven Register, Auburn’s closer in 2003 and 2004. Jackson reached 91 mph at the time, but Joyce’s first instinct was to make the most of his athleticism and bat potential in the outfield.

The Dodgers weren’t sure which direction his career would head, so they allowed him to DH when he wasn’t pitching during the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2001. They abandoned any thoughts of developing Edwin as an outfielder the following spring, and his career took off.

"I only pitched 26 innings my whole time in high school; I was a utilityman and played mostly shortstop," Edwin said. "When I was drafted, it was actually as an outfielder, but they said 'we'll see what we want to do when you get there.' I went to the Gulf Coast League and was mainly a designated hitter."

That first year, Jackson hit .308 with one home run in 26 at-bats. He pitched in 12 games, starting two, striking out 23 in 22 innings with 19 walks and a 2.45 ERA. "It wasn't until spring training of 2002 that I really started pitching," he said. "This is just my second full year of pitching. It's pretty amazing."

In 2001, Jackson was a sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, out of Shaw High in Columbus, Georgia. But his mother remembers a time when Edwin wasn't on anyone's radar.

An infielder, Jackson's playing time was dwindling when he decided to try out as a centerfielder his senior year, Regenia Jackson said.

"The scouts were looking at two other guys on the team," she said. "Then in a game, a ball was hit to centerfield and Edwin threw it—without an assist—to home. Then it happened again, and he threw it hard to third base. A bunch of scouts were there."

Although he had pitched a couple of times in high school, the Dodgers drafted him as an outfielder. During spring training in 2002, the Dodgers told him that they wanted to convert him into a pitcher.

In 2002, Jackson was the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year with the South Georgia Waves (SAL).

Jackson was chosen for the 2003 Futures Game played in Chicago's US Cellular Field as part of the All-Star Game Gala.

In 2003, Jackson missed leading the Southern League in K's by one strikeout, finishing with 157 in 148 innings. But his 53 walks tied for fifth highest in the league.

Edwin made his Major League pitching debut on his 20th birthday; September 9, 2003. He said that before that, he had attended two Major League games in person, both Florida Marlins home games in 2001, one of them against the Dodgers.

Jackson became the youngest Dodgers pitcher to start a game since Dick Calmus in 1963 at the age of 19 years, seven months. Joe Moeller has the Los Angeles Dodgers record at 19 years, two months in 1962. Calmus started against Milwaukee ace Warren Spahn August 23 and the Dodgers lost, 6-1.

Jackson won his game, becoming the  youngest starting pitcher to win a Major League debut since Dwight Gooden on April 7, 1984, at age 19. Gooden, leaping from Class A to the Major Leagues, went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award that year and the Cy Young the following season.

Jackson was seven months old when Gooden debuted. "But I've seen him pitch on ESPN Classic," said Jackson. Not coincidentally, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy compared Jackson to Gooden. "The way he starts his windup, his delivery, the mechanics, there's not a lot of wasted motion," Tracy said of Jackson.

During the offseason before 2004 spring training, Baseball America ranked Jackson as the #1 prospect in the Dodger organization.

In the clubhouse, most of the time Edwin will be wearing headphones over his ears, listening to a range of music—from hip-hop to Latin—on his iPod.

Jackson's parents' support of their son was well known to the Tigers. Tigers pitching coach Rick Knapp said he'll never forget the time during spring training when Edwin's parents sat near the dugout during a game. All Knapp could hear was Regenia's voice.

"The whole game she was, 'Throw strikes, Eddie! Make them hit the ball, Eddie!' " Knapp recalled. "After the game—he had a wonderful game—I told him, 'I had the pleasure of sitting by your mom. She was right over our shoulder.'

"He says, 'Sorry about that.' "

"I said, 'Do you know what she said?'

"He goes, 'Yeah—throw strikes, Eddie! Make them hit the ball, Eddie!'

"I said, 'Listen to your mother.' " (Jo Ann Barnas-Detroit Free Press-6/28/09)

On June 25, 2010, Jackson pitched a no-hitter over the Tampa Bay Rays, throwing 149 pitches in the second no-no in Diamondbacks' history. Edwin walked the bases loaded in the third inning, but was bailed out by a stellar play by third baseman Mark Reynolds, who spun around to throw out Ben Zobrist at the plate.

In July 2012, Jackson left the Scott Boras Corporation fo the Legacy Agency.

In January 2013, Edwin and his wife were married.

Comments on his trade to the Cubs in 2013: "I'm a military brat so I was born on the fly," Jackson said. "That's the only life I know is on the go. I've been living out of a suitcase for a long time."

True, but the Cubs are his seventh team in the last six years.

"I've never had the chance to get bored by a city—I look at it that way," Jackson said.

Jackson, who was born while his father, Edwin Sr., was stationed in Germany as a military cook, moved to Columbus, Georgia when he was eight years old. He has relatives in Georgia.  (5/11/14).

2015 Spring Training: You’ve heard of baseball pitchers who have trouble finding the plate. How about a pitcher who can’t even find the ballpark in which the plate is located.

That was the deal with Edwin Jackson of the Chicago Cubs. He missed his first spring training start — when he ended up at the wrong stadium.

Jackson says he typed “Oakland Athletics spring training complex” into his smartphone — and off he went. Off, as in off in the wrong direction. The GPS on his phone sent him to Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

But Oakland no longer plays there; they’re five miles away.

Sept 30, 2016: Edwin Jackson has been around baseball long enough that he's convinced he knows a bright future when he sees one. Well, the veteran right-hander sees a bright future in San Diego. And he'd like to be a part of it.

Following his final start of the 2016 season -- a 5-3 loss to Arizona -- Jackson expressed his desire to return to the Padres in 2017. The 33-year-old right-hander will be a free agent after the season.

"It's definitely a place I'd like to come back to," Jackson said. "... A lot of positives and a lot of upside to the future of the organization. It'd be fun to be a part of it toward the end of my career."

There were times -- namely his two no-no flirtations -- that Jackson appeared to be making the most of his opportunity. His best outing came in early September, when he held the Red Sox scoreless over seven frames, while striking out 11. But Jackson's valleys often seemed to stretch farther than his peaks. Friday marked the sixth time this season Jackson allowed five earned runs in a start.

"I had a few games that I'd like to erase," Jackson said. "But it's how you bounce back from them. So I definitely think I showed a resilience -- the drive in me to bounce back from a terrible start. Of course, you like to be more consistent."

Padres manager Andy Green said Friday's outing wasn't any sort of audition for Jackson, whose resume of 14 seasons is certainly long enough already. "You could feel how hard he was competing," Green said. "It definitely wasn't pressing. He's been around this game too long to have to worry about making a last impression on us. He's been very good in this league for a long time." (A Cassavell - MLB.com - Oct 1, 2016)

June 7, 2017: With Jackson's pitching appearance for the Orioles, it marked his 12th Major League franchise played for, which is one shy of the record held by former reliever Octavio Dotel.

Edwin has played for a dozen MLB teams; the Nationals are the first he's played for twice.  For Jackson, a rare sense of familiarity is paying off.

"Jackson's a great competitor," manager Dusty Baker said. "He finds a way to keep us in a ballgame. Looked like he's gaining more and more confidence. He's getting more control of the strike zone.  He just wants to do whatever he can to contribute to this club."

Baker called Jackson "lucky," stating that the veteran's understanding of the mental side of pitching has come while his arm still supplies quality stuff.  For Jackson, it has come down to trust -- in himself, and in his defense.

"Once you have a feel for your body, and feel for what you're doing on the mound, it's a lot easier for you to go out and consistently throw strikes," Jackson said. "That's kind of been my thing -- have mechanics, have mechanics, lose it. It's just ride the wave when you have it and try to remember that feeling."  (Ruiz - mlb.com - 8/17/18)

June 25, 2018 : Earlier this month, veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson signed a Minor League deal with the A's -- his 13th organization. When he takes the hill for Oakland Monday night against the Tigers, he'll tie Octavio Dotel's record by appearing in a game with 13 different clubs.

As wild as that fact sounds, a true testament to Jackson's resilience and ability to keep kicking around in what would be his 16th season in the Majors is, it's arguably second to a fateful night Jackson had in Tampa Bay in 2010.On June 25 of that year, Jackson took the mound at Tropicana Field for an Interleague game between the D-backs and the Rays. 149 pitches and eight walks later, he threw a no-hitter, just the second in Arizona history, in the D-backs' 1-0 victory. In doing so, Jackson proved that it's possible to "labor" through a no-hitter, considering he threw 70 pitches through the first three innings. 70. Tampa Bay ended the game having left nine runners on base, probably not something you see often with no-hitters. (Adrian Garro @adriangarro - MLB.com )

May 11, 2019: When Jackson makes his Toronto debut, the Blue Jays will become the 14th big league organization he has played for. That would become the highest number of teams any player has played for in Major League history, breaking a current tie with Octavio Dotel at 13. Jackson is expected to join the Blue Jays rotation in the next few days.

May 15, 2019:  None of the nearly 20,000 men to have played Major League Baseball have carved out a career that can match that of Edwin.  Jackson established a big league record by playing for his 14th team, breaking a tie with right-handed reliever Octavio Dotel. In his standard-setting effort, Edwin performed as he has throughout most of his 17 seasons in the Majors. 

Jackson wasn’t dominant, but he was efficient. He wasn’t flashy, but he was reliable. Jackson didn’t win, but he helped the Blue Jays remain in a position to triumph for most of the afternoon at Oracle Park.

“He’s going to give you all he’s got every time he takes the mound, like he did today,” Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said.  (Haft - mlb.com)

Before every time Edwin Jackson takes the mound for the Tigers, he writes on his cap the initials of a man he never met.

He was hoping to meet Curt Balius last summer when the Athletics called him up to pitch in Detroit. Kevin Visser, the personal pitching instructor who helped Jackson rediscover his old biomechanics and return to the Majors a year earlier, had set it up for his childhood friend Bailus to watch Jackson pitch at Comerica Park. But multiple myeloma -- a cancer that forms in plasma cells -- left Balius too weak to make the trip from his home in Flint.Jackson tossed six innings with a lone run that day, starting him on the midsummer roll that revived his career and sparked the A’s, his 13th Major League team, to a postseason berth. He kept in touch with Balius along the way, sending him caps and other memorabilia, telling him to keep fighting.

“When Curt was first sick, he was in really bad shape the first six months,” Balius’ wife, Erika Revette-Balius, explained. “And baseball was the one thing that really sparked interest. Edwin was with the Athletics, and Kevin really talked him up.”

It was the least he could do, Jackson said. Besides, any friend of Visser is a friend of his. The two bonded even before Visser worked with Jackson to lower his arm angle, regain old velocity and find the bite that had been missing in his slider. Visser and Balius played baseball together growing up in Flint. While Visser has worked with amateur and pro players for more than two decades, Balius became a fixture in the Flint youth baseball scene, having coached his son Gavin on a travel squad that won a tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Balius was also a lifelong Tigers fan who remembered Jackson from his All-Star season with the Tigers in 2009. He would’ve loved to see Jackson pitch again in a Detroit uniform when he returned two weeks ago. But Balius’ two-year battle with multiple myeloma ended on June 11, while Jackson was pitching for the Blue Jays. Balius was just 51 years old. In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons Gavin and Nolan.

Jackson wrote “CB” on his cleats for his next start with the Blue Jays. He was hoping to pitch for the Jays at Comerica Park in July, but eventually made it there with the Tigers instead. When the Tigers called Jackson up from Triple-A Toledo to start against the Royals on Aug. 9, he had a cheering section. Visser, who had driven back and forth from Charlotte to Michigan several times to see Balius, made the trip once more to see Jackson. He brought Erika and Gavin with him. Erika wasn’t sure she was ready for it, the emotions still fresh, the aftermath exhausting. But a friend suggested it might lift her spirits.

“It really helped,” Erika said. “It made me feel a little bit better. And I know it made Gavin feel better. He's 15 and having a hard time.”

Jackson knew Visser was at the game but didn’t know the Balius family would be there. Still, he wrote “CB” on his cap. Though viewers watching on TV could see the initials, neither Visser nor the Baliuses realized it as they watched from the stands. Not until Visser and Gavin met Jackson outside the Tigers clubhouse after the game, Jackson’s first win as a Tiger in 10 years, did they find out. Jackson came out of the clubhouse expecting to see Visser. When he was introduced to Balius’ son, he quickly dashed back into the clubhouse to grab his cap.

“‘I've been putting ‘CB’ on for your dad,’” Visser remembers Jackson saying when he came back out. “And he signed the hat right in front of him. It was extremely emotional. I get tears even thinking about it.”

“It was incredible,” Erika said. They were on cloud nine. Gavin didn't stop smiling from ear to ear. The hat was cool, but then we saw the pictures.”

Like Visser, her voice cracked up recounting it.

“I know he's up there grinning from ear to ear,” she said. “It's a huge deal for our family.”

Once word got around Flint, the pictures of the initials on Jackson’s cap circulated on social media. It says a lot about the impact Balius made during his 51 years. It also says a lot about Jackson.

“I always tell people Edwin is a better person than he is a pitcher,” Visser said, “and he's had a great career.”That could’ve been the end of the story. But when Jackson made his next start five days later, he again had “CB” written on his cap. Again, he picked up a win. Asked after the game what he would do with that cap, Jackson smiled. “I’m going to keep this one for myself,” he said. (Jason Beck - MLB - Aug. 19, 2019)

TRANSACTIONS

June 2001: The Dodgers drafted him in the 6th round, out of Shaw High School in Columbus, Georgia.

June 20, 2006: Jackson was recalled from AAA Durham by the Devil Rays to replace Seth McClung on the roster.

January 14, 2006: The Devil Rays sent pitchers Danys Baez, Lance Carter, and a player to be named later to the Dodgers, acquiring Jackson and P Chuck Tiffany.

December 10, 2008: The Tigers sent OF Matt Joyce to the Tigers, acquiring Jackson. (The Rays saved about $2 million in dealing Edwin, because he was due for a big raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility. And Tampa is heavy on starting pitchers.)

January 20, 2009: Jackson and the Tigers avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract for $2.2 million.

December 9, 2009: Edwin went to the Diamondbacks in a winter meetings' blockbuster trade that sent Detroit center fielder Curtis Granderson to New York, Tigers right-hander Edwin Jackson and Yankees right-hander Ian Kennedy to Arizona, and D-backs pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth—along with Yankees prospect Austin Jackson and lefty Phil Coke—to Detroit.

February 15, 2010: Jackson and the Diamondbacks avoided arbitration, agreeing to a two-year, $13.35 million contract. He got an $800,000 signing bonus and a $4.2 million salary for 2010; then $8.35 million for 2011.

July 30, 2010: The White Sox sent RHP Daniel Hudson and LHP David Holmberg to the Diamondbacks, acquiring Jackson.

July 27, 2011: Jackson switched teams twice in just a few hours. First, the Blue Jays sent RHP Jason Frasor and RHP Zach Stewart to the Chicago White Sox for Jackson and INF Mark Teahen.

Then Toronto traded Jackson, RHP Octavio Dotel, LHP Marc Rzepczynski, OF Corey Patterson, and three players to be named (or cash) to St. Louis for OF Colby Rasmus, LHP Brian Tallet, LHP Trever Miller, and RHP P.J. Walters.

February 2, 2012: Edwin and the Nationals agreed on a one-year contract.

December 20, 2012: Jackson and the Cubs agreed to terms on a four-year, $52 million deal. The deal includes an $8 million signing bonus with annual salaries of $11 million per year, according to a Cubs source.

January 13, 2015: Jackson signed a one-year contract with the Marlins.

July 27, 2015: The Cubs released Jackson.

August 14, 2015: Edwin signed with the Braves.

Jan 13, 2016: The Marlins signed Jackson to a 1 year contract for $507,500.

June 2, 2016: The Marlins released Jackson.

June 2016: After signing a minor-league deal with the Padres, Jackson was called up and made his first start as a Padre on July 17, 2016.

Nov 3, 2016: Jackson chose free agency.

April 5, 2017: Jackson signed a minor league contract with the Orioles.

June 13, 2017: Jackson chose free agency.

June 16, 2017: Jackson signed with the Nationals organization.

Nov 2, 2017: Jackson chose free agency.

June 1, 2018: Edwin was released by the Nats.

June 6, 2018: The A's  organization signed free agent Jackson.

Oct 29, 2018: Jackson chose free agency.

April 12, 2019:  A's officially agreed to a Minor League deal with Edwin.

When Jackson makes his Toronto debut, the Blue Jays will become the 14th big league organization he has played for. That would become the highest number of teams any player has played for in Major League history, breaking a current tie with Octavio Dotel at 13.

July 19, 2019: The Blue Jays released Jackson

July 21, 2019: The Tigers organization signed free agent RHP Edwin Jackson.

Oct 31, 2019: Jackson elected free agency.

Feb. 3, 2020: The Diamondbacks signed Jackson to a minor league contract.

Jackson fires a very lively 92-98 mph FASTBALL that can overpower hitters. It is a rising fastball that that bores in on hitters and might remind people of Doc Gooden's. 

He has a pretty good CIRCLE-CHANGEUP that has good fade and sink. His nasty short-breaking SLIDER comes in at 85-86 mph with late hard-biting action and plenty of depth in the strike zone. Hitters tend to either swing over the top of or tap it into the ground. That slider is his best weapon.

2017 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 36.7% of the time; Sinker 12% of the time, Change 6.3%; Slider 24.5%; Curve 8%; and Cutter 12.8% of the time.

Jackson has "easy heat" because of his smooth mechanics and easy delivery. He has a picturesque delivery and clean, free arm action, but with good arm speed.

If Jackson gets two strikes on a hitter, watch out. In 2012, one of every two swings on Edwin's slider was a whiff. It was even harder to hit with less than two strikes, when hitters weren't expecting it. His slider has late, downward break, and he tends to use it more as the game goes on.

He can get in trouble when his fastball and slider flatten out and he leaves them up in the strike zone. But he needs to trust his stuff and not be too fine with his pitches.

Jackson's makeup and work ethic are impressive. He is durable and can show flashes of greatness, but it's hard to see him taking a step forward after so many failed attempts to turn him into an ace. (Spring 2013)

Edwin has transformed from a fly ball pitcher before 2010 to more of a neutral one since then. (April 2013)

July 30, 2018:  A leadoff walk was followed by another, but Edwin Jackson would quickly erase the markings of an ominous beginning.  By night's end, he was popping a 6-liter bottle of champagne gifted by wife Erika, who had been lugging it around the country -- along with their three children -- for a month, anticipating this moment.

It didn't appear that career win No. 100 would come so easy for the A's right-hander, until it did.  Pitching around two baserunners in the opening frame, Jackson did it again in the third, buoyed by the kind of run support that has eluded him in green and gold and clocking 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 10-1 series-opening victory over the Blue Jays. 

"It's special," Jackson said, son Exavier nearby clutching the game ball with "100" etched on it. "To look back where I've come from and to imagine having 100 Major League wins is definitely something that I never envisioned, I never pictured, but I've been blessed with a crazy but successful career. To be able to do it with these guys in the fashion that they did it in tonight makes it even more special, and it lets you know about the group we have."

"It's pretty cool," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I mean, a guy comes into this team. What is this? His 13th organization or whatever, and day one fits in like he's been here a few years. Everybody is pretty excited for him. I know he's excited. One-hundred wins is a lot of wins, and guys are celebrating for him in there right now."  (Lee - mlb.com)

May 15, 2019: Edwin Jackson will set a Major League record with his very first pitch. Toronto is the 14th team for which Jackson, 35, has performed in his Major League career since 2003. That will break the record that he shares with right-hander Octavio Dotel. The Blue Jays obtained Jackson for cash. He had signed with Oakland about a month earlier and was pitching himself into shape in the Minors.

"It's a fun trivia fact," Jackson said Tuesday about his itinerant background. "For me, I'm just blessed and happy to be back where I feel I can pitch. I feel like I'm a Major League player and I've proven I can play in the big leagues. I'm very grateful."

"To tell you the truth, I haven't seen him pitch for a while," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. "But I know he's a gamer and I know he competes, because I've seen him many times."

Sept 15, 2019: The rain picked up at Comerica Park as Edwin Jackson took the mound for the top of the fifth inning. When he completed his warmup tosses, third-base umpire Ted Barrett walked over for a quick word, seemingly asking if he could pitch on what was becoming a muddy mound through the near-downpour. Jackson waved him off, saying he was good to go.

It was a fitting snapshot for Jackson’s season at this point. Six days after his 36th birthday, a month after his last win, and 16 years after his Major League debut, he continues to take the mound, looking to help a Tigers team winding down what is now a 104-loss season.

Though the 8-2 loss to the Orioles at Comerica Park widened Detroit’s lead in the race for the first overall pick in next year’s MLB Draft to 4 1/2 games, Jackson isn’t concerned with that. At this stage of his career, he can’t afford to look that far ahead. He’s trying to do what he can to help the young players in the Tigers’ clubhouse right now.

“The guys in the clubhouse are upbeat,” Jackson said. “The staff has been great, dealing with the situation that we have here. It’s just growing pains. Once you learn how to get over the hump and you get through these situations, the future is definitely bright.”

The manager in the visitors’ dugout knows all about that. Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde was on the Cubs’ coaching staff for two of Jackson’s three seasons in Chicago, filling innings on a rebuilding club.

“He’s one of my top five teammates I’ve ever been around,” Hyde said before the game. “He’s a total pro and a class act, and there’s a reason why he’s been around so long and people want to have him around and always give him an opportunity, because he’s such a great guy. Takes the ball, never complains, never [makes] an excuse and competes.”

Considering how little the Tigers got out of Matt Moore and Tyson Ross -- nine starts combined before season-ending injuries -- it wouldn’t be stunning if the Tigers showed interest in a low-risk Minor League deal to bring Jackson back, at least for depth, maybe for competition, certainly for leadership.

“That experience is invaluable,” catcher Grayson Greiner said. “He’s going to go out there and give it everything’s he got. That’s something a lot of young players can learn from.”

Jackson, of course, has to figure out what he wants to do. But at every turn so far, Jackson wants to pitch. (J Beck - MLB.com - Sept 15, 2019)

2019 Season: Jackson struggled for Toronto and Detroit last year in the 2019 season. In 18 games (13 starts), he posted a 9.58 ERA while allowing 23 home runs.

When Edwin was in the fourth grade, he broke the bone at the tip of his elbow. Pins had to be inserted, but it healed. And he never had another problem with it. He still has a two-inch scar there.

July 9-September 7, 2004: Jackson was on the D.L. with a forearm strain. When Edwin would fire a fastball, the pressure on his middle finger caused a sensation in the forearm below the elbow. There was no pain, just a loss in velocity.

August 21-Sept. 19, 2014: The Cubs placed struggling starter Jackson on the 15-day disabled list with a right lat strain.

April 18-May 20, 2016: Jackson was on the DL with Right triceps strain.