BOSTON — Fenway Park has been home to all sorts of records, debuts, milestones and achievements over the course of thousands of games played there this past century.
But America’s oldest ballpark had not witnessed anything like what took place on Monday afternoon. That’s because what took place had never happened before in the history of the sport.
The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays resumed a rain-suspended game from two months prior, picking up where that game left off, and one player — catcher Danny Jansen — was set to appear in both lineups.
Let us set the scene on one of the stranger days in Fenway history:
At the start of the day, a pair of zeroes hung on the manual scoreboard in left field denoting a scoreless first inning from June 26. The red lights below showed an 0-1 count and one out in the top of the second. Technically Jansen was still at the plate for the Blue Jays, even though he’d been traded to the Red Sox on July 27. The Jumbotron in center field even showed the pitcher vs. batter matchup with Jansen still wearing a Blue Jays uniform.
Jansen completes warm-ups in a Red Sox uniform as a photo of him as the hitter at the plate in a Blue Jays’ uniform is on the screen behind him. (Paul Rutherford / Getty Images)
Moments before first pitch, an announcement came, piped into the press box from media relations director Daveson Perez:
Pinch-hitting for Danny Jansen, No. 25 Daulton Varsho
Defensive changes for the Red Sox, now catching Danny Jansen
And just like that Jansen officially became the first player in major-league history to play in the same game for both sides.
GO DEEPER
Danny Jansen could make history by playing for Red Sox and Blue Jays in the same game
The original catcher for the Red Sox in that June 26 game, Reese McGuire, had been designated for assignment, so manager Alex Cora subbed Jansen into the game — to catch a plate appearance that started with him as the batter.
With Nick Pivetta on the mound (technically making his first relief appearance of the year) when the game officially resumed, Varsho struck out in place of Jansen for the Blue Jays. If it had been a two-strike count, Jansen would have caught his own strikeout, but alas, the strikeout went to Varsho’s line. The runner on first, Davis Schneider, took off for second after the strikeout and reached safely as Jansen’s throw sailed into center. But it didn’t matter, as Pivetta got the next batter, Will Wagner, to strike out ending the inning.
And that was that.
“It was, very cool moment,” said Cora after the 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays. “Just to be part of it, I don’t know if it’s going to happen again. It has to be a perfect storm for that to happen, starting with a storm. But I’m glad everyone enjoyed it.”
“I guess it hasn’t fully hit me yet,” Jansen said. “I was surprised when I found out I was the first one to do it. So it’s cool. Leaving a stamp like that on the game, it’s strange and it’s interesting. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have that. And at the end of the day, it’s a cool thing.”
With this at-bat, Danny Jansen officially becomes the first player in MLB history to play for two different teams in the same game. 😮 pic.twitter.com/tO6dCtyQYd
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 26, 2024
Jansen expects to hear from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which will surely be seeking some of his gear, as well as a scorecard from the game, showing him as a player on both sides.
“I haven’t spoken to them directly but I think there may be something about getting some things authenticated,” said Jansen, who noted he wore two jerseys, one to keep and one to send to the Hall of Fame. “I spoke to some authenticators about maybe sending something so that’s kind of been pretty cool.”
Jansen’s appearance in the box score on both sides marked the strangest occurrence of the day, but there were other oddities. On the Red Sox side, McGuire, Enmanuel Valdez and Dom Smith were all in the June 26 lineup but are currently no longer with the team. In their places, David Hamilton, who’d been at shortstop to start on June 26, moved to second, Ceddanne Rafaela entered the game at shortstop and Triston Casas, who’d been on the injured list in June, entered at first base.
Meanwhile, Toronto had traded several players from their June 26 lineup by the time Monday’s game resumed. In addition to Jansen, Toronto dealt away DH Justin Turner, center fielder Kevin Kiermaier and third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa. In their place, Brian Serven took over at catcher, Addison Barger at DH and Varsho entered in center. Shortstop Leo Jiménez took over for Bo Bichette, now on the IL.
GO DEEPER
Danny Jansen makes MLB history by playing for both teams in same game as Red Sox, Blue Jays resume
Jansen, fittingly, recorded the first Red Sox hit of the day with one out in the fifth inning, but the Red Sox had little else to show for the game offensively on an otherwise disappointing start to a day, which will continue with the regularly scheduled night cap on Monday evening.
In the sixth, the Red Sox had their best chance at scoring with two men on when Rafael Devers hit a swinging bunt. But the catcher’s throw hit him in the back and he was called out for interference on a play that could have scored a run.
A Casas error at first base in the eighth, followed by back-to-back doubles, sunk the Red Sox. Their offense mustered just four hits.
“It’s not happening right now, it’s been going on for a while here,” Cora said of the slumping offense. “Most of them haven’t been in this situation before, every pitch matters, every at bat matters, we just have to make sure we slow it down.
“I don’t know if it’s pressure or good pitching we just we’re better than this and we know that and right now we’re not going through a good stretch, we’ll turn it around.”
(Top photo of Jansen at the plate for the Red Sox in a game he was the listed hitter for the Blue Jays before first pitch: Paul Rutherford / Getty Images)
