Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen makes MLB history Monday

By Jimmy Golen, AP Sports Writer

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen became the first player in major league history to appear in the same game for both teams when he took the field for Boston on Monday in the resumption of a rain-delayed game he started for Toronto in June.

Jansen was in the Blue Jays' lineup at catcher and batting in the second inning on June 26 when the game was suspended. He was traded to the Red Sox last month, and on Monday he took his position behind the plate as a pinch-hitter Daulton Varsho struck out to complete the at-bat that Jansen started.

"Baseball has been around for so long, there's so many things that's happened in the game. So I was surprised when I found out I was the first," Jansen said in the Red Sox clubhouse this weekend. "Any time you can be a part of this great game's history, it's pretty unique."

Who is Danny Jansen?

A right-handed catcher who has spent his career as a backup, Jansen has never gotten enough plate appearances to even qualify for a batting title (though his .222 lifetime average is surely the bigger obstacle). Since the Red Sox acquired him on July 27 for three minor leaguers, he is batting .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 on Monday to grab an artifact for the museum from the historic game.

"It's a bit strange," Jansen said. "But it's one of those oddities of the game and it's pretty cool. I'm still surprised that it hasn't happened, but it's a cool thing."

Jansen was at the plate with a runner on first and one strike in the count when the umpires called out the tarps for the finale of Boston's series against the Blue Jays in June. The game will be resumed at that point as part of a day-night doubleheader on Monday afternoon, Toronto's first trip back to Fenway Park since then.

The Blue Jays had to hit for Jansen to start things off. The Red Sox also needed 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 announced Friday that Jansen will be behind the plate for the first game of the doubleheader. He spoke a little more of the historical aspect of Jansen playing for both teams in one game, though he said making history did not go into his decision.

"I wasn't aware of it until you guys brought it up," Cora said Sunday. "From all the pressure I felt from all your peers, I felt obligated for him to play [Monday].

"It worked out because Reese was catching, and [Connor] Wong is going to catch the second game," Cora explained. "It's something cool. It's not that we're trying to make history, it's just like -- he needs to play [Monday]."

Baseball Hall of Fame to mark occasion

An authenticator was on hand to tag all of Jansen's equipment, and the Baseball Hall of Fame said it requested the scorecard from official scorer Bob Ellis. Ellis was also working the game when it started in June.

"This scorecard will be a great tool to document and illustrate this history, showing Danny Jansen's name on both teams," Hall spokesman John Shestakofsky said.

When the ballpark opened to fans, the scoreboards were showing Jansen at bat for the Blue Jays — complete with a picture of him in his Toronto cap. Before the first pitch, the umpires held an extended conversation at home with the coaches who brought out some of the weirdest lineup cards in baseball history.

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