9 Baseball Players who Played for Mets and Red Sox
There is a good chance that if you’ve found this page then you’re playing the Immaculate Grid.
That also means that today’s grid has asked for players that have played for both the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox.
And, it also means that you’re probably stuck on this particular box and you’re looking for a little help. Sound about right so far?
Well, good news, you’re in the right place.
I’ve done some research and have found players who played for both the Mets and the Red Sox.
Cliff Floyd
Cliff Floyd, who played from 1993 to 2009, is best known for his time as an outfielder and first baseman with the Florida Marlins and New York Mets.
Floyd had a solid career, collecting over 1400 hits, 233 home runs, and a .278 career batting average. He was named an All-Star in 2001 (Marlins), and he was a key contributor to the Marlins’ World Series championship in 1997.
Floyd’s standout season might have been in 2001 with the Marlins when he posted a .317 batting average with 31 home runs and 103 RBIs.
Frank Viola
Frank Viola, also known by his nickname “Sweet Music”, had a 15-year career in Major League Baseball, primarily as a starting pitcher. He began his career with the Minnesota Twins in 1982, and played with them until 1989. He then played for the Mets, Red Sox, Reds, and Blue Jays.
During his career, Viola recorded a win-loss record of 176-150, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.73, and struck out 1844 batters.
One of the highlights of his career came in 1987 when he led the Twins to a World Series victory and was named the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP). He also won the Cy Young Award in 1988.
Viola Key Stats
- Cy Young (Twins)
- All-Star (Twins, Mets)
- 20+ Win Season (Twins, Mets)
Jason Bay
Jason Bay, a Canadian-born outfielder, had a successful career in Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2013. Notably, Bay had successful stints with the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, where he showed his power at the plate.
Bay kicked off his career with a bang, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2004 while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was selected to the All-Star team three times (Pirates, Red Sox) and hit over 200 home runs in his career.
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson was one of my favorite baseball players growing up. In fact, somewhere in a closet, I have a baseball card binder with over 150 Rickey Henderson baseball cards.
Most of us probably remember Henderson as an Oakland A, back in the late 80s playing on the same A’s teams as the Bash Brothers.
But, he played for an incredible 25 years in the majors and played on 9 different teams during that span.
Rickey played 14 years with the A’s, but he also played for the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays.
So, not only is he an acceptable answer for a player who played for both the Mets and the Red Sox, but Rickey Henderson is a very versatile Immaculate Grid answer that you can use quite often.
In fact, he also had over 1400 career stolen bases, over 2200 runs and over 3000 hits (all of which could appear as possible categories).
Rich Hill
Rich Hill is an Immaculate Grid beast. The left-handed pitcher has played for 13 different clubs over his incredible 19-year career – one that is still ongoing as I’m writing this (he’s currently pitching with the Padres).
Hill’s MLB journey began when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2002. After making his major league debut in 2005, he had initial success with the Cubs, particularly in 2007 when he had a standout season. However, injuries, inconsistency, and command issues led to him bouncing around the minors and various MLB teams for several years.
After refining his pitching approach and mechanics, he experienced a career resurgence starting in 2015. At an age when many players see diminished returns, Hill became one of the most effective starters in baseball. This late-career renaissance led to stints with the Red Sox, Athletics, Dodgers, Twins, and Rays.
Bartolo Colon
Bartolo Colon, affectionately known as “Big Sexy”, was a fixture on the mound in baseball from 1997 until 2018. He played for a whole bunch of teams (11), which makes him an extremely versatile player for the Immaculate Grid.
Colon’s career stops included the Indians (now Guardians), Dodgers, Mets, Athletics, White Sox, Twins, Braves, Red Sox, Rangers, Montreal Expos and Yankees.
Colon was a 4-time All-Star and even bagged a Cy Young Award in 2005. He had over 240 wins and more than 2,500 strikeouts.
Hideo Nomo
Hideo Nomo was a trailblazing pitcher who played from 1995 to 2008. Best known for his time with the Dodgers, he also played for one year each with the Royals, Rays, Mets, Red Sox, Tigers and Brewers.
Nomo was the first Japanese player in the MLB in the modern era and he immediately made a splash, earning the Rookie of the Year award in 1995.
Known for his distinctive “tornado” delivery, Nomo racked up over 120 wins and more than 1,900 strikeouts during his career including a National League leading 236 in his rookie season.
He also threw two no-hitters, one of them in the notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field.
Rick Aguilera
Rick Aguilera had a solid 16 year career, best known for his time as a relief pitcher with the Twins. In addition to the Twins, Aguilera also played for the Mets, Cubs and Red Sox.
Transitioning from a starting role to the bullpen, Aguilera amassed over 300 saves in his career including two seasons (’91 and ’92) with over 40. He was a three-time All-Star and consistently among the best closers in the game during his peak.
Bret Saberhagen
Bret Saberhagen, who had an exceptional career from 1984 to 2001, shone as a starting pitcher for the Royals, Mets, Red Sox and Rockies. Saberhagen was a dominant force on the mound, winning the Cy Young Award twice with the Royals in 1985 and 1989.
He was also instrumental in leading the Royals to a World Series championship in 1985, earning the Series MVP award. Over his career, Saberhagen accumulated 167 wins (career high of 23 in 1989), more than 1,700 strikeouts, and maintained a strong 3.34 career ERA.
His no-hitter in 1991 and three All-Star appearances further underscore his noteworthy career in the Major Leagues.
