Danny Jansen will make major league history on Monday at Fenway Park.
The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays will resume a game that was stopped due to rain on June 26 as the first game of a doubleheader on Monday. Jansen, then playing for the Blue Jays, was at bat with one out and a runner on first base in the top of the second inning when the game was stopped in June. After a one-hour, 48-minute hiatus, the Red Sox and Blue Jays announced that the game would resume where it left off in the Aug. 26 doubleheader.
Jansen was traded to the Red Sox on July 27th, meaning he could be on the other side of the field when play resumes on June 26th.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed to reporters on Friday that Jansen will be replaced in the rest of the game, making him the first player in history to appear in the same game for both teams.
“I have no idea how it works,” Jansen said when asked about the game suspension after being traded to Boston. “I’ve heard that story a few times. That would be crazy.”
Jason Stark of The Athletic delved into the issue and the uniqueness of the situation last week.
Going deeper
Danny Jansen could make history by playing in the same game for the Red Sox and Blue Jays
The right-handed catcher has appeared in 13 games for the Red Sox since the trade, batting .257 with a .794 OPS.
The Blue Jays will also be intrigued in this game. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that Jose Berrios will pitch when play resumes, but that Berrios will actually be in relief because Yariel Rodriguez was the starter before the game was halted. It will be Berrios’ first relief appearance in 166 consecutive appearances since pitching 1 1/3 innings in the final start of the 2017 season.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, will start the following Tuesday, making it two straight days of starts. The suspended game will finish on August 26, but will be recorded as having been played on June 26 in the official records.
(Photo of Janssen by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
