The Toronto Blue Jays played two against the Boston Red Sox and took both games on Monday. The first, being a game that was previously suspended on June 26 due to rain, followed by the second game which was regularly scheduled.
The first game had a distinct moment, one player appearing in a game for both teams. That player was catcher and former Blue Jay Danny Jansen. The veteran catcher was hitting for the Blue Jays and fouled off one pitch for an 0-1 count at the time of the rain delay, he would be shipped off the Boston around the trade deadline. With his slot coming up, Daulton Varsho pinch-hit for Jansen, while Jansen took over at catcher for the recently DFA’d and also former Blue Jay Reese McGuire, who had been one of two catchers for the Red Sox in 2024. With this, Danny Jansen played for two teams in the same game, and became the first in the history of the MLB to do so.
Ryan Burr (0-1, 5.12) started off for the Blue Jays while Nick Pivetta (5-8, 4.70) was on the bump for the Red Sox when play resumed. Burr threw 1 1/3 innings, allowing no runs on no hits, walking one and striking out three, taking a no-decision. Pivetta threw 6 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) over four hits, walking none and striking out 10, taking his ninth loss of the year.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the 7th, when George Springer hit a solo homer, a 416 foot shot over the famous Green Monster, giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.
The Jays would add more in the top half of the 8th, when a two RBI double from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended the Toronto lead to 3-0. The Blue Jays would tack on a fourth run, thanks to an RBI double from Addison Barger.
The Red Sox would score one run, with a solo shot from Jarren Duran, making it 4-1.
Chad Green (4-3, 1.69) would shut down the Red Sox in order in the bottom of the 9th to secure his 15th save in 15 tries this year, as the Blue Jays took game one of their doubleheader by a final score of 4-1.
Heading onto game two, the regularly scheduled of the two on Monday. Jose Berrios (12-9, 3.79) took the mound for the Blue Jays, while Zack Kelly (5-2, 2.74) toed the rubber for the Red Sox. Berrios threw 7 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned), walking none and punching out six, taking his 13th victory of the year. Kelly threw just 3 innings, not allowing a run or a hit, walking two and striking out four, taking a no-decision.
This time around, the Red Sox struck first, scoring on an RBI single from Tristan Casas.
The Blue Jays would spoil the Boston lead in the top of the 5th, when George Springer hit his second homer of the day, a three run shot to give Toronto a 3-1 lead. Addison Barger gave the Jays their fourth run with an RBI single, then Ernie Clement drove in another run with an RBI double, giving the Blue Jays a 5-1 lead.
Jarren Duran, like Springer, hit his second homer in the two games, a two run shot to cut the Toronto lead to 5-3.
The Blue Jays would get those two runs right back in the top of the 9th. Alejandro Kirk reached on a fielding error by Chris Martin (2-1, 2.94), scoring Vladdy and giving the Jays a 6-3 lead. Spencer Horwitz would then drive in the Jays’ seventh run with an RBI single.
Brendon Little (1-2, 3.94) came on for the bottom of the 9th, retiring the side and securing the first save of his big league career.
Yariel Rodriguez (1-5, 4.40) will get the start for the Blue Jays, while Cooper Criswell (5-4, 4.41) will get the start for the Red Sox as the Jays will look to take the series with a win on Tuesday night.
