In a bizarre twist of fate, veteran catcher Danny Jansen made Major League Baseball history on Monday afternoon at Fenway Park, becoming the first player to compete for both the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox in the same game, Fox News reports.
The historic moment took place as the Blue Jays and Red Sox resumed a rain-delayed game that was initially postponed on June 26. Jansen, who started the season with the Blue Jays and was hitting seventh in the batting order when the game was interrupted, was present at the plate in the top of the second inning when rain forced the game to be halted.
The situation took a turn when Jansen was traded to the Red Sox from the Blue Jays on July 27. As the game resumed on Monday, he took the field for Boston, marking a unique occurrence in league history.
Upon resuming play, Daulton Varsho pinch-hit for Jansen. Varsho began his at-bat with a 0-1 count, due to Jansen’s previous foul ball against Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford before the rain interruption. Varsho struck out just two pitches later. Meanwhile, Jansen appeared in the game as a replacement for Emmanuel Valdez, who had been playing second base for the Red Sox during the June matchup. Jansen went on to line out to first base, bringing the inning to a close.
According to The Associated Press, MLB had an authenticator present in Boston to document Jansen’s equipment. Additionally, the Baseball Hall of Fame requested that the official scorecard, maintained by scorer Bob Ellis, be forwarded to them for their records.
“I think any time you can be a part of this great game’s history, it’s pretty unique,” Jansen remarked after the game.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora also played a role in ensuring Jansen remained active in this historic game, opting to have him play the entirety of the resumed match rather than the night game.
Despite Jansen’s arrival, Connor Wong, who remains the primary catcher for Boston, is set to start the night game following Jansen’s unique appearance.
