It’s often said in baseball that you can tune in any day and still see something you’ve never seen before. Anyone watching Monday’s resumption of a suspended game between the Red Sox and Blue Jays knows that’s true.
Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen will step in for the Red Sox – although he originally started for the Blue Jays.
In the past, suspended games have led to some completely bizarre scenarios, including in 2018 when Juan Soto hit a home run in a game that began five days before his MLB debut. What Jansen is doing is unprecedented, as he is the first player in MLB history to play for two teams in the same game.
Here’s the story behind the strange scenario Jansen finds himself in.
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How can Danny Jansen play for both MLB teams in one game?
Jansen started at catcher for the Blue Jays at Fenway Park on June 26, but play was stopped in the second inning due to rain. It was the final game of the series and the Blue Jays had to travel back to Toronto for a game on Thursday, so it was decided to postpone the rest of the game until August 26, when the two teams were scheduled to begin another series in Boston.
A lot can change in two months, especially when the trade deadline is right in between. With the Blue Jays out of the running for the postseason, they traded Jansen, a slated free agent, to the Red Sox on July 27. Boston made Jansen its No. 2 catcher behind Connor Wong.
This strange incident occurs because Reese McGuire, not Wong, started at catcher for the Red Sox on June 26. McGuire was scheduled to replace another player when Jansen was signed, so either Jansen or Wong had to step in. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has accepted the story.
“Yes, he’s catching. Let’s make history,” Cora told reporters before Monday.
As if the situation wasn’t strange enough, the batter at the plate when play was stopped was none other than Jansen. This means that during a batting inning that he began with bat in hand, Jansen will be behind the plate, with the Blue Jays filling in for him as a pinch hitter.
Jansen will witness the conclusion of the interrupted game.
And now comes the fun part: He will enter the game at the plate himself. So the Jays will replace Jansen as the pinch hitter, since Jansen is behind the plate.
Jansen will then be the first MLB player to play for both teams in the same game
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) 26 August 2024
Toronto had to reshuffle its lineup for the suspended game because four of its players from June 26 were traded and another, Bo Bichette, is on the injured list. Brian Serven is filling in for Jansen at catcher.
Jansen called the oddity “extremely rare and cool,” adding that given the age of the sport, he was surprised he was the first to do so.
An authenticator is expected at Fenway Park to bring some Jansen memorabilia to the Hall of Fame to commemorate the historic moment.
Here’s a look back at the trade that brought Jansen to Boston and made Monday’s feat possible.
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Danny Jansen moves to the Red Sox
The Red Sox acquired Jansen from the Blue Jays on July 27 in exchange for minor league players Cutter Coffey, Eddinson Paulino and Gilberto Batista.
While the Blue Jays were already out of the running at that point, the Red Sox were still firmly in the AL wildcard race and were looking to improve on the backup catcher side, as McGuire only had a .575 OPS this year. Jansen struggled early in the season in Toronto, but hit 17 home runs in 86 games last season and had a career OP of .743 going into 2024.
Jansen has filled his role well so far, posting a .231 batting average with three home runs and a .718 OPS in 14 games at a position that doesn’t typically offer much offense, but Monday’s performance will likely be his biggest moment in Boston, no matter how the rest of the year goes.
