Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher once said baseball was like church. Many attend, but few understand.
For true believers, Monday afternoon’s game at Fenway Park was a bit of a miracle.
Danny Jansen, a bespectacled backup catcher, became the first player in major league history to play for both teams in the same game when the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox, 4-1.
Jansen was at the plate for the Blue Jays at Fenway on June 26 when the game was suspended because of rain. He was subsequently traded to the Red Sox on July 27.
When the game resumed, the Sox needed a new catcher. Reese McGuire was their backstop in June but was sent to the minors after Jansen was acquired.
Sox manager Alex Cora did his part, electing to put Jansen in the lineup in place of McGuire. So at the same time Toronto pinch hit for Jansen with Daulton Varsho, Jansen was put in the game as the catcher.
With Danny Jansen up, Danny Jansen came in to catch. That was a carefully worded first for Fenway Park public address announcer Henry Mahegan, who has been on the job since 2013.
“As a reminder,” he said. “This game will begin in the second inning with one on and one out. The Jays will send a pinch hitter to the plate because the player batting when the game was suspended, Danny Jansen, is now a member of the Red Sox.”
Jansen fouled off a pitch before the game was stopped in June. Varsho fouled off the first pitch he saw, then struck out swinging. Three strikes and you’re out. Except poor Varsho saw two pitches.
“It’s an interesting game,” Cora said.
Fenway Park organist Josh Kantor had some fun. His selections included “Right Back Where We Started From” and “Feels Like The First Time” along with “Both Sides Now.”
The Hall of Fame, eager to document this bit of history, asked official scorer Bob Ellis for his scorecard before the game. It’s on the way to Cooperstown and will be displayed at some point.
Jansen also planned to have some of his equipment authenticated in case any of his friends or family wanted a souvenir from his most unusual of games. He wore two jerseys during the game for that purpose.
“I couldn’t have imagined myself in this situation,” he said. “I would have assumed it happened before.”
It did, in a minor league game in 1986 when outfielder Dale Holman played for the Syracuse Chiefs and Richmond Braves. That game also started in June and finished in August.
But Monday marked the first time in the majors. As is typical for the resumption of a suspended game, only a small crowd showed up. But all of those fans can say they witnessed history.
Jansen, 29, wasn’t aware any of this was possible until a few days after the trade when a reporter mentioned it to him.
“It’s going to be a cool moment, especially when it’s all said and done, to look back on,” he said. “It’s such a strange thing that’s happening but I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do it.”
Jansen admitted he doesn’t look at box scores very often. Players play and leave the record-keeping to others. But this game was an exception.
“Sure, I’ll peek at it,” Jansen said. “It’ll be cool to see.”
Jansen was drafted by the Blue Jays out of a Wisconsin high school in 2013 and spent his entire career with the organization until he was traded.
He was a popular player in Toronto, even braving the winter weather to attend fan events throughout Canada in the offseason.
For Jansen, playing against his former teammates and coaches for the first time was more significant than his quirky place in hardball history.
His wife, Alexis, and their two kids were in the stands along with other family and friends.
“It’s cool to experience that with them and have them there,” Jansen said. “Once the game started, locked in for the game.”
With the Sox trailing by three runs, Jansen came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner on second and two outs. He struck out.
Jansen didn’t play in the second game, a 7-3 loss that dropped the Red Sox further out of contention for a playoff spot.
Dueling Jansens weren’t the only oddity of the day.
Toronto shortstop Leo Jimenez made his major league debut on July 4. Teammate Will Wagner made his on Aug. 12. But history will record they played in a game on June 26.
Jimenez and Wagner will have a tough time explaining that to their grandchildren someday.
Jansen summed up the events well.
“It’s interesting,” he said. “And it’s strange.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.