BOSTON — Blue Jays-turned-Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen has not only played for both teams in the same game, he’s the first in major league history to do so.
He played for both teams in the same innings.
Jansen, who started for Toronto in June and took to the field in Boston on Monday after a rain-delayed game resumed, became the first major leaguer to have his name inscribed on both sides of a baseball’s scoreboard before being traded to the Red Sox.
“Dalton Varshaw will be pinch-hitting for Danny Jansen,” Red Sox public relations coordinator Deiveson Perez announced at the press box before the first pitch Monday afternoon, 65 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes after the game was stopped for rain. “Defensive change: Danny Jansen at catcher.”
Playing at Toronto on June 26, Jansen fouled off the only pitch thrown to him by Cutter Crawford before the Tarps were removed in the bottom of the second inning.
On July 27, Jansen was traded from Toronto to Boston in exchange for three minor leaguers.
On Monday, with Jansen playing catcher, Nick Pivetta struck out Varsho and Jansen came to bat.
Then Boston’s Jansen came to bat with two outs in the bottom half and, to loud cheers from the sparse substitute crowd, hit a slow liner to first base to end the inning.
Jansen singled to center field in the fifth inning and finished 1-for-4 with the Blue Jays winning, 4–1.
An appraiser was on site to tag all of Jansen’s equipment, and the Baseball Hall of Fame said it had requested the scorecards from official scorer Bob Ellis.
Ellis has also been involved in the game’s development since it launched in June.
“This scorecard, with Danny Jansen’s name on both teams, will be a great tool to document and explain this history,” said Hall spokesman John Shestakowski.
As the stadium opened to spectators, the scoreboard showed Jansen at bat for the Blue Jays, along with a photo of him wearing a Toronto cap.
Before the first pitch, the umpires had lengthy discussions with their coaches at home and pulled out some of the strangest batting order charts in baseball history.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora welcomed the quirkiness of the situation, saying, “Let’s make history” by putting Jansen in the lineup for a reserve game rather than the usual night game. (As a backup, Jansen’s main job is to keep primary catcher Connor Wong from overworking.)
Jansen said he was surprised that something like this had never happened before in baseball’s 150-year history, but he was happy to have his place in baseball lore.
“It’s very special to be part of the history of this great game,” he said.
