Danny Jansen started as catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays in a game vs. the Boston Red Sox that took place on June 26. However, after this game was suspended due to rain in the top of the second inning, the rescheduled game was set to take place on Monday, August 26.
With this in mind, for those who don't know, Jansen, 29, was traded to the Red Sox on July 27, so there was much anticipation in regards to this rare occurrence of a player technically switching teams in the middle of a game.
The first player in @MLB HISTORY to play for both teams in the same game: Danny Jansen 👓 pic.twitter.com/rQHjp5dZyn
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 26, 2024
Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed (via Boston Herald) that the team's new player will indeed be in the lineup vs. his old teammates, "Yeah, he's catching, let's make history!"
Danny Jansen at bat in the top of the 2nd and the bottom of the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/w2zgojbgjk
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 26, 2024
So as a result, in today's game Jansen found himself playing in a white uniform instead of his former team's blue jersey.
Danny Jansen #28 (right)
Jansen, catcher (left); Daulton Varsho, hitter (right)
Even more, at the time the original game was suspended, Jansen was the one hitting. That is to say, in the resumed game, the Blue Jays hitter that was substituted for him, Daulton Varsho (#25), had to start with a 0-1 count, which is from Jansen's at bat a couple months ago.
Pinch-Hitting for Danny Jansen: Daulton Varsho
Now Catching: Danny Jansen
🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/PXnVZvbpml
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 26, 2024
With this at-bat, Danny Jansen officially becomes the first player in MLB history to play for two different teams in the same game. 😮 pic.twitter.com/tO6dCtyQYd
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 26, 2024
"What an oddity, right? What a crazy, crazy thing for baseball this game," Jansen stated while doing an interview (SportsNet). "People have been asking me and coming up to me to talk about it and stuff, so it's going to be a cool one."
Danny Jansen is officially the first player in MLB history to play for both teams in the same game.
He allowed a steal while catching against his own pinch-hitter pic.twitter.com/MIdyhTubA9
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 26, 2024
Notably, after being selected in the 2013 MLB Draft Jansen had appeared in 471 games for the Blue Jays, across sevens seasons, putting up a .222 batting average, to go with 73 home runs, 219 RBI's and 202 runs before he was traded.
Ever since Jansen joined his new team in Boston, he has appeared in 14 games, batting .231 with a couple of home runs.
Jansen's former team, the Blue Jays, won the game 4-1, so they improved to a 64-68 record, still sitting in last place in the AL East, while the Red Sox remain third in the division with a 67-63 record.
The two teams will face-off for the second part of the double-header, which will take place 7:10 pm ET on August 26.
