On Monday afternoon, the Red Sox will play a game unlike any other in the history of Fenway Park. Scratch that, in all of Major League Baseball history.
Before the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays can open their second Fenway series of the season, they must wrap up the one they were unable to finish way back on June 26. At the time, catcher Danny Jansen was in Toronto’s starting lineup. In fact, he was mid-at-bat when the game went into delay.
A month later, the Blue Jays traded Jansen to the Red Sox. In doing so, they created an opportunity for the ultimate whacky baseball moment and niche sports trivia question:
Who is the only player in MLB history to play for both teams in the same game?
The Red Sox will seize that opportunity, manager Alex Cora announced Friday.
“He will play Game 1, by the way. For all the people that have been looking at history, yeah, let me throw it out there,” Cora said.
Though the Sox skipper spoke about liking how Jansen’s bat plays at Fenway, he also said the chance to do something unique factored into the decision.
“I’ve been getting texts from Jayson Stark, from Buster Olney, ‘Is he gonna catch?’ You know what? Yeah, he’s catching!” Cora said with a smile. “Let’s make history.”
Jansen’s insight into the Blue Jays pitching staff will also prove helpful as the Red Sox continue pushing for a playoff spot, Cora said. The remainder of their schedule is laden with divisional matchups, including two series against the Jays.
“Danny has been great, not only with the coaching staff and game prep, but kind of like, talking to pitchers and understanding what we need to do,” Cora explained. “He comes from an organization that, they have pitched throughout the years, and he was behind the plate most of the time, so it’s good to have him.”
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