Danny Jansen will become the first player in MLB history to play for both teams in one game when the Boston Red Sox resume their duel against the Toronto Blue Jays, the catcher’s former team.
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The first game, played on June 26, was suspended while Jansen was at bat at Fenway Park. A month later, the catcher was traded to Boston.
He will no longer pitch for the Blue Jays, but will play catcher for the Red Sox. Jansen will be behind the plate for Boston, while a pinch hitter will fill in for the Blue Jays in his absence.
“I don’t even know how that works,” Jansen told The Athletic when asked about the suspended game after he was traded to the Red Sox. “I’ve heard about it a couple of times. That would be weird.”
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Jansen was 0-1 for Toronto when play was suspended due to weather. The Red Sox have called up Reese McGuire, the starting catcher in that game, to make room on the roster for Jansen. McGuire is now at Triple-A Worcester.
Jansen will replace McGuire behind the plate, while a pinch hitter will take over Jansen’s batting gig for his former team. Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed Friday that Jansen would play catcher for Boston on Monday.
“Yes, he’s catching it,” Cora told reporters. “Let’s make history.”
So there is a lot at stake. Jansen is the batter who is at the crease when the @RedSox And @BlueJays Play continues and he has a 0-1 count. Since the pinch hitter does not inherit a 2-strike count, all actions are credited to the pinch hitter.
However, to make room for Jansen,… https://t.co/Hj6WlOafww
— MLB Scoring Changes (@ScoringChanges) July 29, 2024
The historic change of heart will take place on Monday, August 26, when the Red Sox resume play against the Blue Jays.
There are a few other crazy changes in the game, too. Blue Jays pitcher Jose Berríos will start the resumption of the game. However, Yariel Rodríguez was the starter before the game was suspended, which technically makes Berríos a reliever.
Berríos has not played as a relief pitcher since 2017, when he threw the final 1.1 innings of his last appearance on the mound that year.
Rodríguez will start the next day, making him the starter in two consecutive games, as he was already listed as a starter for the first game on June 26 against the Red Sox.
Jansen played 61 games for Toronto before joining the Red Sox. It was the catcher’s seventh season with the Blue Jays.
So far in his time with Boston, Jansen has a .257 batting average, two home runs, and five RBIs in his first 13 games with the team. He also has a .794 OPS.
