BOSTON — Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen is enjoying his odd bit of baseball history as he prepares to become the first major leaguer to appear in the same game for both teams.
Jansen was in the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup when they played Boston on June 26, a game that was suspended due to rain and was scheduled to resume Monday. In the meantime, he was traded to Boston, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he would put Jansen in the lineup when play resumes.
“Baseball has been around for so long, there’s been so much that’s happened in the game. So I was surprised to hear that I was the first,” Jansen said in the Red Sox locker room over the weekend. “Anytime you can be a part of the history of this great game, it’s pretty unique.”
A right-handed catcher who spent his career as a backup, Jansen never had enough plate appearances to qualify for a batting title (though his .222 lifetime average is probably the biggest obstacle). Since the Red Sox acquired him on July 27 in exchange for three minor league players, he is hitting .231 with two homers and five RBIs in 14 games.
But he could be on his way to the Hall of Fame — if only as a footnote — with an authenticator expected to be on hand Monday to retrieve an artifact for the historic game museum.
“It’s a little weird,” Jansen said. “But it’s one of the quirks of the game and it’s pretty cool. I’m still surprised it didn’t happen, but it’s a cool thing.”
Jansen was at bat with a runner on first base and a strike when umpires called the tarps for Boston’s series finale against the Blue Jays in June. The game will resume then as part of a day-night doubleheader Monday afternoon, Toronto’s first trip to Fenway Park since then.
The Blue Jays will have to start hitting for Jansen. The Red Sox also have to replace Reese McGuire, who started at catcher for them on June 26; he was sent to Triple-A Worcester to make room for Jansen.
Cora has already said he will bring Jansen in for the first game of the doubleheader.
“He’ll play the first game, by the way, for anybody who’s read the story,” the Red Sox manager said Friday. “You know what? Yeah, he’s a catcher. Let’s make history.”
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