Danny Jansen Makes History, Plays For Red Sox and Blue Jays in Same Game

Longtime Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen was traded to the Boston Red Sox in July, and he got to face his old team in a previously-suspended game on Monday.

Aug 26, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen (28) at home plate with Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho (25) pinch hitting for Jenson making history in the second inning at Fenway Park. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

What started as a typical rain delay has led to a never-before-seen moment in MLB history.

Back on June 26, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen set up behind the plate in a regular season showdown with the Boston Red Sox. Jansen didn't even get to complete his lone at-bat at-bat that day, though, as he was only able to log 1.0 inning in the field before play was suspended in the top of the second due to inclement weather.

The rest of the game was rescheduled and would be completed the next time the Blue Jays traveled to Boston on Aug. 26.

Toronto traded Jansen away on July 27, meaning he wouldn't get to finish that game as the Blue Jays' backstop. The Red Sox were the team that scooped up Jansen, parting ways with three prospects in order to net the veteran catcher.

Play finally resumed between the two teams on Monday. Reese McGuire, who had since been sent down to Triple-A Worcester, was still in the lineup as Boston's catcher.

As a result, manager Alex Cora subbed in Jansen, making Jansen the first player in MLB history ever to play for two teams in the same game.

The 29-year-old went from catching for rookie Blue Jays southpaw Yariel Rodríguez to receiving pitches from veteran Red Sox righty Nick Pivetta. Daulton Varsho pinch-hit for Jansen to open the afternoon, but Pivetta struck him out swinging.

Jansen, meanwhile, was due up third in the bottom of the frame, and he ultimately lined out to first against his former teammate, Ryan Burr. He finished the afternoon 1-for-4 with a strikeout.

Toronto went on to win 4-1.

Welcome to the Danny Jansen game. pic.twitter.com/3DNjjX1aV4

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 26, 2024

Cora could have replaced McGuire with Connor Wong, but he instead decided to go with Jansen and take full advantage of the historic opportunity. The Red Sox dubbed Monday's contest "The Danny Jansen Game," and urged fans to remember the date in case it ever came up as a trivia question in the future.

Jansen spent his entire professional career with the Blue Jays, prior to this summer's trade deadline. He was drafted in 2013 and made his big league debut in 2018.

Over parts of seven seasons in Toronto, Jansen hit .222 with 73 home runs, 219 RBI, a .733 OPS and an 8.7 WAR. He hit double-digit home runs in his last four non-COVID-shortened campaigns, and he could make it five if he hits two more in 2024.

Jansen is currently batting .214 with eight home runs, 23 RBI, a .677 OPS and 0.7 WAR this season. Since joining the Red Sox last month, Jansen is batting .225 with two home runs, five RBI, a .701 OPS and a 0.1 WAR.

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