August 26, 2024: One Man, Two Teams, One MLB Game

NOTE: While these entries are dated 2022, I decided to backdate the posting dates of events from 2023 onward to the same date in 2022.

August 26, 2024: The history of the Boston Red Sox is littered with bizarre moments -- some favorable to them, most not. This one might not only take the cake, but burn down the bakery. Hang on, because this one is complicated.

On June 26, 2024, the Red Sox hosted the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park in Boston. With 1 out in the top of the 2nd inning, Danny Jansen came to bat. He fouled off a pitch from Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford, and then the umpires stopped the game due to rain. The game was rescheduled for August 26, making it the 1st game of a day-night doubleheader to start the teams' next series in Boston.

But on July 27, the Jays traded Jansen to the Red Sox, for 3 players who have yet to reach the major leagues: Pitcher Gilberta Batista and infielders Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino. Jansen wore Number 9 with the Blue Jays. For the Red Sox, that's retired for Ted Williams. So he was given Number 28.

Instead of restarting the June 26 game entirely, Major League Baseball ruled that it must be resumed from the point at which the rain came. Which means that the player who was at bat at that time can't go back up to bat, because he's now on the other team. What's more, Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that Jansen will catch the game, in place of the now-injured Reese McGuire. Cora said, "He will not only become the first player to play for both teams in the same game in MLB history, but he will catch the at bat that he himself started and must be pinch-hit for."

So when the game was resumed Daulton Varsho stopped in against Nick Pivetta, who "relieved" original starter Crawford. Varsho was put in center field. Kevin Kiermaier, who had started in center field for the Jays in the original game, had been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kiermaier's place in the batting order was given to Leo Jiménez, a shortstop. At that position, he replaced Bo Bichette, who is still with the Jays, but has been taken out of the game. Bichette's place in the batting order was taken by Jansen's replacement as Toronto catcher, Brian Serven.

Varsho struck out. In the bottom of the 2nd, Jansen popped up to 1st base. In the 5th, he singled to center, but was stranded. In the 7th, he flew out to center. The game remained scoreless until the top of the 7th, when Russ Springer hit a home run to put the Jays up, 1-0.

In the top of the 8th, a single, a fielder's choice, and back-to-back doubles by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger put the Jays ahead, 4-0. In the bottom of the 8th, Jarren Duran, who had made the All-Star Game this season, but had also served a 2-game suspension for a homophobic slur, homered to get the Sox on the board.

The Jays won the game, 4-1, and the last out of the game was Jansen striking out. He went 1-for-4 in the game. The Jays also won the night's regularly-scheduled game, 7-3.

Danny Jansen -- no relation to 1994 Olympic speed-skating hero Dan Jansen -- is 29 years old, and grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin. He reached the major leagues with the Blue Jays, in 2018. His career was mostly unremarkable -- until this day. Now, he's the answer to a trivia question.

He shares that distinction with Eric Money. He played for the New Jersey Nets against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia on November 8, 1978. That game was protested, and resumed, but Money had been traded by the Nets to the Sixers, and ended up playing for the Sixers in the resumed game, on March 23, 1979, which the Sixers won.

*

August 26, 2024 was a Monday. These other MLB games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Nationals, 5-2 at Nationals Park in Washington. Nestor Cortés was the winning pitcher.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Houston Astros, 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Bryce Harper singled Kyle Schwarber home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 18-8 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. 

* The Kansas City Royals swept a doubleheader from the Cleveland Guardians, 4-3 and 9-4 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-3 at Guaranteed Rate Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Minnesota Twins, 10-6 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

* The San Diego Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-4 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Miami Marlins, 3-2 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-1 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

* And the New York Mets, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Baltimore Orioles, the Cincinnati Reds, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Oakland Athletics, the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers were not scheduled.