7 Baseball Players who Played for Red Sox and Blue Jays
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 Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.
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 Red Sox and the Blue Jays. Here is a mix of well-known All-Stars along with some hidden gems that you may have forgotten about.
Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history. His career, spanning 24 seasons from 1984 to 2007, was filled with success, including stints with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros.
Clemens racked up an impressive 354 wins with a 3.12 ERA, and his 4672 strikeouts place him third on the all-time list. Clemens was a workhorse, logging a career total of 4916.2 innings. Clemens was an 11-time All-Star and won the Cy Young Award seven times, more than any other pitcher in history.
His accolades also include two World Series titles, both with the Yankees, in 1999 and 2000. However, Clemens’ career has been overshadowed by allegations of performance-enhancing drug use, which has thus far kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame despite his remarkable statistics and accomplishments.
*Clemens was the most popular pick for this square in a previous grid (Grid 130)
Clemens Key Stats
- MVP (Red Sox)
- Cy Young (Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros)
- All-Star (Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros)
- 3000+ Career Strikeouts
- 300+ Career Wins
- 20+ Win Season (Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees)
John Olerud
Personally, I’ll always remember John Olerud in a Blue Jays uniform wearing his helmet out at first base. However, Olerud played with four other teams including some quality seasons with the Mets and Mariners.
A skilled first baseman and accomplished hitter, Olerud maintained a .295 career batting average, amassing over 2,200 hits, 1,200 RBIs and 500 doubles.
In 1993, he won the American League batting title with a .363 average. Olerud was a two-time All-Star and won three Gold Glove Awards for his defensive prowess. Finally, he was a key member of the Blue Jays’ back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.
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 Red Sox and the Blue Jays, 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).
David Wells
David Wells, nicknamed “Boomer”, was a major force on the baseball mound from 1987 to 2007, spending time with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Padres, and several other teams including Tigers, Red Sox, Dodgers, Reds, Orioles and White Sox.
A key player in the Yankees’ ’98 World Series win, Wells also pitched a rare perfect game that same year.
His career stats are impressive, with a total of 239 wins and over 2,200 strikeouts over the course of 21 seasons.
Otis Nixon
Otis Nixon was a speedy outfielder whose career went from 1983 to 1999. Over those 17 seasons, Nixon played for 9 different teams – Braves, Indians (now Guardians), Montreal Expos, Blue Jays, Twins, Red Sox, Rangers, Dodgers and Yankees.
Nixon wasn’t a big hitter, but he was a whiz on the basepaths, stealing over 620 bases during his career and maintaining a respectable .270 batting average. He’s best remembered for his daring steals and spectacular catches, including an unforgettable game-saving grab in 1992 while with the Braves (video above).
Matt Stairs
Matt Stairs had a lengthy Major League career that spanned from 1992 to 2011, during which he played for 12 different teams, essentially making him an Immaculate Grid Hall-of-Famer.
Known for his power-hitting abilities, primarily as a pinch-hitter, he hit 265 home runs over his career and holds the record for the most pinch-hit home runs in MLB history with 23. Stairs had a career batting average of .262 with an OPS of .832, and recorded 899 RBIs.
Notably, in the 2008 postseason with the Philadelphia Phillies, he hit one of the most famous home runs in Phillies history, helping the team move onto the World Series that year.
Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce is a player who made a name for himself as a utility player capable of performing at various positions, most notably at first base and in the outfield.
Pearce played for several teams during his MLB career, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox. However, it was with the Red Sox that he had the defining moment of his career.
After joining the Red Sox mid-season in 2018, Pearce played a crucial role in their postseason run. He was named the World Series Most Valuable Player as the Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pearce had several key hits throughout the Series, including three home runs and eight RBIs.
