A player playing for both teams in the same game?

[rhd]

Catcher Danny Jansen was traded before the deadline from Toronto to Boston. He was the Jays' catcher in a game on June 26 between the Jays and the Sox and this game was suspended in the 2nd inning because of rain, to be resumed on August 26. Boston's catcher in that game was Reese McGuire, who since was DFA'd. So unless McGuire is brought back up, they will have to replace him. If they replace him w Jansen, it will mark the first time in MLB history that a player has played for both teams in the same game. Boston could use their other catcher, Konnor Wong, as the replacement for McGuire. I'll be interested in what happens on 8/26 when this game is resumed.

[madducks]

On May 30,1922, The Cubs and Cardinals traded two players between games of a doubleheader and they both played for two different teams on the same day. But, not the same game.

And on August 4, 1982, Joel Youngblood played 4 innings of a game for the Mets at Wrigley Field before getting traded to the Expos and traveling to Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia just in time to pinch-hit in the 6th inning of their game.

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/cardinals-and-cubs-trade-outfielders-cliff-heathcote-and-max-flack-c232584078

[madducks]

And Joel Youngblood is the only player to get a hit for two teams on the same day.

[rhd]

Well, today Danny Jansen did indeed become the first player to play for both teams in the same game. Jansen was at the plate for Toronto when the game was suspended and in the resumed game he was behind the plate for Boston as Daulton Varsho pinch hit for him (!). He batted for Boston in the bottom of the inning and he lined out.

Also interesting was the fact that when I went to the site that I usually use for viewing box scores (OnRoto), it did not have Jansen appearing for Boston at all. MLB.com appeared to have both of Jansen's box score entries listed correctly (he went 1-4 for Boston and went 0-0 for Toronto, as the count was 0-1 in his AB in the 2nd inning when the game was suspended, so the outcome of the AB was credited to Varsho).

MLB.com published an article indicating what happened in this game. This article also mentioned that there was a minor league game in which a player also played for both teams in the same game. This was another case of a suspended game being resumed months later. In 1986, a player named Dale Holman played for the Jays AAA affiliate, Syracuse, in the original game and was later released and signed by Atlanta and played for the Braves' AAA affiliate, Richmond, in the resumed game.

I'll also note that in past decades, this game would have not been resumed. Because it wasnt an official game when it was suspended, it would have been postponed and played over from the start. If it had been an official game when it was suspended, the typical thing that used to be done was to just declare the team ahead at the time the winner. It probably wouldnt have been resumed at all unless it was tied when it was suspended, or maybe not even then. I'm not sure exactly when MLB started resuming practically all suspended games at a later date.

[Todd Zola]

The scenario was one strike away from being even more bizarre. If a batter takes over in an at bat with two strikes and then strikes out, the K is charged to the initial batter. If there are fewer than two strikes, it gets assigned to the pinch hitter.

The count was 0-1, so this is moot, but what if there were two strikes. It's possible that Jansen could have framed a third strike, getting himself caught looking.

[virgonomic]

I'll also note that in past decades, this game would have not been resumed. Because it wasnt an official game when it was suspended, it would have been postponed and played over from the start. If it had been an official game when it was suspended, the typical thing that used to be done was to just declare the team ahead at the time the winner. It probably wouldnt have been resumed at all unless it was tied when it was suspended, or maybe not even then. I'm not sure exactly when MLB started resuming practically all suspended games at a later date.

Yesterday Dan Schulman on the Jays broadcast said this was a COVID thing, as MLB didn't want to lose the innings that had been played in suspended games.