Alex Cora does right by baseball fans, confirms Danny Jansen will be greatest trivia answer ever
The Boston Red Sox pulled off a rare trade with their AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays, at this year's trade deadline, landing Danny Jansen to add to their catching depth. So far, the deal has worked out decently for the Red Sox as Jansen has a 98 OPS+ in 14 appearances splitting time with Connor Wong behind the dish.
As intriguing as it is to see the longtime Blue Jay in another AL East uniform, what made this trade to the Red Sox in particular so fascinating is something most fans would never expect.
On June 26, the Blue Jays were in Boston facing off against the Red Sox. They had made it to the top of the second inning when the rain eventually was too much for the teams to play through. It was suspended and set to eventually be completed on Monday, August 26. The game wound up getting suspended with Jansen at the plate in a 0-1 count.
Ever since the trade went down, MLB fans have been on pins and needles waiting to find out if Jansen was going to play in the resumed game for Boston. If he did, he'd be the first player in MLB history to appear in a game for both teams. Fortunately, Alex Cora made the decision everyone had been hoping for with a pregame announcement on Friday.
Danny Jansen will catch the continuation of the suspended game on Monday against the Jays, Alex Cora confirmed, which will make him the first MLB player in history to appear in one game for both teams.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) August 23, 2024
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Alex Cora proves he does not hate fun with needed Danny Jansen decision
When the Blue Jays and Red Sox complete their game on August 26, Jansen will be in a Red Sox uniform, behind the plate, as the Blue Jays send up a pinch-hitter to bat for himself. How wild is that?
To add to the chaos, the Red Sox will be replacing Reece McGuire, the player DFA'd upon Jansen's arrival, with Jansen himself.
Fans of chaos will appreciate Cora's willingness to announce that Jansen will play in this game. He could've waited to see who the Jays were going to pitch and play the matchups with the Red Sox in the middle of a Wild Card race, but he knows how important this history is.
What makes this even crazier is that Jansen is far from the only player that the Blue Jays will have to replace. Justin Turner, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Kevin Kiermaier were all traded at the deadline. Bo Bichette is currently on the IL. Those are four additional players in the June 26 starting lineup, and John Schneider will have to remove them immediately. The box score for this game, especially on Toronto's side, will look ridiculous, and we're here for it.
20 years down the line when someone asks who the first player is to play for both teams in the same game, you better know the answer, and it's all thanks to Alex Cora's willingness to play along.
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