In a move that seemingly came out of nowhere, the Boston Red Sox traded for catcher Danny Jansen from the division rival Blue Jays a few days before the trade deadline. They changed things up in the catching department and made Jansen the backup to Connor Wong instead of Reese McGuire.
Since the trade, Jansen has performed well in a Red Sox uniform, with an OPS of 1.172 to go with a pair of home runs in 20 plate appearances over six games. But the craziest part of acquiring Jansen is something that hasn't happened yet.
The Sox took on the Blue Jays on June 26 in the final matchup of a three-game series. That game was suspended in the second inning due to rain and is set to resume on August 26 when the Blue Jays return to Fenway for a nearly-five-game series.
Since Jansen was in the starting lineup for the Blue Jays when the game started in June and actually at bat when the game was initially delayed, he'll make baseball history by appearing in the game for the Red Sox when play resumes.
Danny Jansen will make baseball history in first month with Red Sox, Alex Cora confirms
According to SABR, no player has played for both teams involved in a suspended or protested game in the majors. When the game started in June, McGuire was the starting catcher for the Red Sox. With McGuire DFAd and off the 40-man roster, the Red Sox will have to replace him in the resumed game.
The suspended-game makes so much weird and wild nuttiness possible, @jaysonst writes.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 20, 2024
Because of it, Danny Jansen could become the first player in MLB history to appear in a box score for both teams in the same game.
Here's how it can happen ⤵️https://t.co/1A8wgS7eGm pic.twitter.com/tZVQREp56r
Red Sox skipper Alex Cora confirmed on Aug. 23 that Jansen will be in the lineup for Boston when the suspended game continues. Jansen would've made history if he entered the matchup at any point, but Cora said he'll be catching.
The Red Sox have had a unique history with suspended games recently. In Aug. 2019, a game against the Kansas City Royals was suspended in the 10th inning due to severe rain. They picked up the game two weeks later and it took just 12 minutes for the Red Sox to walk off the Royals and win the game.
While the resumed game on Aug. 26 will almost certainly be critically important for the Red Sox in the playoff race, it's a chance for the team to make history in another way. Cora embraced the chance to make Jansen the only MLB player who has ever played for two teams in a single game, and he'll take it a step further — he'll be the batter and catcher in the same at-bat.