Danny Jansen joins the Red Sox lineup for the start of the suspended game against the Blue Jays, playing for both teams
Danny Jansen will make Major League Baseball history on Monday at Fenway Park.
The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays resumed a game on June 26 that had been suspended due to rain in what was to be the first game of a Monday doubleheader. In June, Jansen, then playing for the Blue Jays, was batting with one out and one on in the top of the second when the game was suspended. After a delay of 1 hour, 48 minutes, the Red Sox and Jays announced that the game would resume where it left off in a doubleheader on August 26.
Jansen was traded to the Red Sox on July 27, raising the possibility that he could be on the other side of the field when play resumed on June 26.
On Friday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed to reporters that Jansen will fill in for the continuation of the game, making him the first player in history to appear for both teams in the same game.
“I don’t even know how this works,” Jansen said when asked about the game suspension after he was transferred to Boston. “I’ve heard about it a couple of times. That would be weird.”
The AthleticsJayson Stark delved into the issue and the uniqueness of the situation this past week:
GALLING DEEPER
Danny Jansen could make history by playing for the Red Sox and Blue Jays in the same game
In 13 games for the Red Sox since the trade, the right-handed catcher has a .257 batting average with an OPS of .794.
The Blue Jays will also have some strange developments in the game. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that Jose Berrios will take the ball when the game resumes, but because Yariel Rodriguez was the starter before the game was suspended, Berrios will actually pitch in relief. It will be his first relief appearance since he threw 1 1/3 innings in relief in his last appearance of the season in 2017 — a stretch of 166 consecutive starts.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez will start the following day, Tuesday, making him the starter on two consecutive days — sort of. Although the suspended competition ends on August 26, it will be officially recorded as having been held on June 26 in the record books.
(Photo of Jansen: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
