danny jansen jays red sox

Traded Blue Jays player could end up playing for two teams in same game

The 2024 MLB rulebook is a staggering 192 pages long, and the Toronto Blue Jays always seem to find a way to have the really obscure ones applied to them.

In the latest head-scratcher, it appears that the Blue Jays could participate in the first-ever MLB game in which a player appears on two different teams.

Longtime Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen was traded to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, and while Jansen is now a member of that division rival, his story with the Jays is not quite over.

The Blue Jays' June 26 game versus the Red Sox was postponed due to rain after less than two innings, and the teams are set to play a makeup game on August 26.

While this is relatively common in open-air stadiums like Fenway Park, the recent trade makes for a bizarre set of circumstances that could result in a league first.

Jansen was at bat for Toronto when that June 26 was called amid a downpour in the second inning, down 0-1 in a count to pitcher Kutter Crawford.

Now a member of the Red Sox, Jansen could make history on August 26 if he appears behind the plate for his new team, having played part of the game as a member of the Blue Jays and the remainder on the Red Sox.

Meanwhile, the Jays will open up the makeup game in the split doubleheader with a pinch hitter to bat in place of Jansen.

It would mark the first time in Major League Baseball's 121-year history that a player appears on two competing teams during the same game.

In another instance of the rule book confounding baseball audiences, many Jays fans will remember the bizarre 7th-inning antics and controversial rule that outraged a home crowd during the legendary 2015 ALDS matchup versus the Texas Rangers.

Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin's attempt to throw the ball back to pitcher Aaron Sanchez resulted in the ball striking the hand of Rangers batter Shin-Soo Choo, resulting in a run for the visiting team. However, that unforgettable inning would turn in the Jays' favour, culminating in Jose Bautista's iconic bat-flip home run.

This time, things seem more grim. A career Blue Jay has been dealt to an AL East rival amid a totally off-the-rails season that has gutted fans of hope and trust in the franchise's leadership.

But at least we have those new cup holders.

Lead photo by

Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports


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