(Boston) Danny Jansen’s former team beat his current squad on Monday as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
Now a Red Sox catcher, Jansen became the first player in Major League Baseball history to play in the same game with both teams.
When he took the field to continue the game that began last June, he was this time wearing a Red Sox uniform, while he had started the game in a Blue Jays uniform.
On June 26, Jansen was batting second and leading the Jays behind the plate when the game was stopped in the second inning. He was traded to the Red Sox last month. On Monday, he took over behind the plate when pinch hitter Daulton Varsho struck out to end the inning, completing the at-bat started by Jansen.
An authenticator was on hand to identify Jansen’s equipment, and the Baseball Hall of Fame requested the game card from official scorekeeper Bob Ellis, who was also on duty when the game began in June.
When the stadium opened to the public, the scoreboards showed Jansen, in his Jays uniform, as the next batter to come up to bat. The umpires then had a long discussion with the coaches as they brought the most bizarre offensive roles in history to the plate.
When the game got underway, Jansen got one of the Red Sox hits, a single in the fifth inning.
George Springer hit a ball over the Green Monster to break a 0-0 tie in the seventh inning. The Blue Jays added three runs in the eighth, two of them on a double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who came home after Addison Barger’s double.
Zach Pop (1-3) recorded the win. Chad Green had a 15e save this season for his work in the ninth inning. He also struck out Jansen to end the game.
Jarren Duran hit a solo home run for the Red Sox.
Kutter Crawford started the game for Boston in June, but it was Nick Pivetta (5-9) who took the mound in the second half. He allowed three runs, two earned, and four hits in six innings on the mound.