Boston's Danny Jansen Made Bizarre MLB History By Playing for Both Teams in Same Game

Jansen's history-making moment occurred in the top of the second inning of Monday's game between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.
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. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

They say you can't be in two places at once, but Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen begs to differ.

Jansen on Monday made MLB history by playing for both teams in the same game during the top of the second inning of the Red Sox's game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Here's how and when he did it.

How did Danny Jansen play for both Red Sox and Blue Jays at the same time?

Jansen was a member of the Blue Jays when they took on the Red Sox on July 26. The contest was in the top of the second inning with one on and one out, and Jansen was at the plate with the count 0-and-1. But play was suspended due to rain and rescheduled to a split doubleheader between the two clubs on August 26.

One day later on July 27, Jansen was traded to the Red Sox in exchange for three prospects ahead of the MLB trade deadline, meaning that he was no longer a member of the Blue Jays. Red Sox manager Alex Cora penciled Jansen in as catcher for the resumption of the contest. However, Jansen was still technically at the plate for the Blue Jays, so when play resumed on Monday, Toronto sent up Daulton Varsho as a pinch hitter for Jansen, who was behind the plate for Boston.

Here's the exact history-making moment.

When did Danny Jansen make MLB history?

Varsho was pinch hitting for Jansen while Jansen replaced former Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire behind the plate as a defensive substitution.

Unfortunately, Jansen's history-making moment wasn't the smoothest, as he promptly allowed a stolen base with the count 0-and-2.

Give the guy a break, it's hard to catch and hit at the same time! Both the Red Sox and the Blue Jays had fun with Jansen's historic moment on social media.

Things got even stranger when Jansen stepped up to the plate for the Red Sox in the bottom half of the inning.

Wait, wasn't he just at the plate?

You truly never know what you're going to see at a baseball game.


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.