Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen is set to make baseball history by being the first player to appear in a box score for both teams in the same game. The potential achievement comes after a bizarre set of events involving a suspended game and a trade. Since June 26, Jansen has theoretically been batting during a delayed Blue Jays versus Red Sox game. Midway through the game, he was then traded to the Red Sox. As a result, due to the suspended game rules, he is now due to play for the Red Sox in the resumed match, despite still being recorded as a Blue Jay in the initial stages of the game.
The suspended game rules, while sometimes strange, add a unique facet to the game of baseball. For instance, they have allowed Juan Soto to essentially time-travel, debuting before his debut in 2018 and homering before his first home run. Other peculiar circumstances involving these rules have seen reliever Joel Hanrahan winning a game for the Nationals while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Adam Duvall and Daniel Hudson facing one another in the same game, for different teams, and appearing together on a different game’s box score, all on the same day.
Jansen’s potential feat is made possible by the rule that allows players not originally with the club during a suspended game to be used as substitutes. Despite this rule, the game will not go as far as to allow Jansen to finish his at-bat in his Blue Jays uniform, but it’s possible he may take the field as catcher for the Red Sox. This is only one of the strange scenarios that this suspended game rule brings about, such as the theoretical possibility of a player catching his own third strike or tagging himself out.
Interestingly, Jansen would not be the first person in all of baseball history to play for both teams in a game. During a game in 1986 in the minor league International League, right fielder Dale Holman accomplished this very feat, even hitting multiple times for both teams in the same match. However, Holman’s achievement was due to being released rather than traded, marking Jansen’s potential feat as a first in the major leagues.
Despite the peculiarity of this situation, its rarity will have a lasting impact on baseball history beyond just the immediate game. The almost four-decades-old story of Holman still lives on today, showing how such unusual moments in baseball could become timeless trivia questions. There’s no guarantee for Jansen to achieve this feat, but regardless of the immediate outcome, this unusual event serves as a reminder of the unpredictability and uniqueness of baseball.
Overall, Jansen’s potentially historic feat, while paling in comparison to Holman’s 1986 achievement in some respects, is truly emblematic of baseball’s unpredictability. These unique circumstances serve as a testament to the game’s ability to consistently surprise and astound its followers, both in the past and potentially in future games. Whether or not Jansen will ultimately join this exclusive club of players who’ve played for two teams in the same game is still unknown, but the mere possibility adds a fascinating layer to an already complex and intriguing sport.
