I’ve always been drawn to the weird side of sports. But this one felt too strange, even for baseball. A friend dropped a TikTok in our group message about Seranthony Domínguez being traded from Baltimore to Toronto.
Dude, literally walked across the hallway at Camden Yards. One minute he was with the Orioles. A few hours later, he was pitching for the Blue Jays. Against the team he started the day with… in the same doubleheader.
That wasn’t just a fun trivia nugget. It was a perfect mix of timing, luck, and baseball chaos.
So I had to dig deeper. Turns out, Domínguez wasn’t the first to go through this. Same-day trades have happened before. Not just in baseball, but across all major sports. Each league handles it differently. And the rules behind these moments tell you a lot about how pro sports actually work behind the scenes.
The Domínguez Deal
Domínguez started the day as an Oriole. He ended it pitching for the Blue Jays. That alone would be rare. But he also faced the team he was just on. It felt like a video game glitch.
Then he actually pitched in the second game. He wore a jersey that looked like it was put together in a rush. One of the numbers was upside down. But he threw a clean inning. Struck out two of his old teammates. Talk about a strange day at the office.
Other Times This Has Happened in Baseball
1922: Cubs and Cardinals Swap Outfielders
The two teams made a trade between games of a doubleheader. Cliff Heathcote went to the Cubs. Max Flack went to the Cardinals. Both played in the second game. No travel. No waiting.
1982: Joel Youngblood’s Wild Day
Youngblood got a hit for the Mets in a day game in Chicago. Then he got traded to the Expos. He flew to Philly, put on a new uniform, and got a hit in that game too. Two teams. Two cities. One day. One player.
2024: Danny Jansen Plays for Both Teams in the Same Game
This one is bizarre. A game between the Blue Jays and Red Sox was paused due to rain. Jansen was a Blue Jay when it started. A month later, before the game resumed, he was traded to Boston. When the game picked back up, he played for the Red Sox against the Blue Jays. He became the first MLB player to appear for both teams in the same game.
What About Other Sports?
I started wondering how often this kind of thing happens in other leagues. Turns out, it depends on how the league operates. Some make it easier than others.
NHL: Same-Day Trades Happen a Lot
Hockey has the least resistance. These trades happen pretty regularly.
In 2019, Matt Duchene was traded from the Senators to the Blue Jackets. The two teams were playing each other that same night. He literally walked down the hall, joined the other locker room, and played against his old team.
There are even stories of trades happening during games. In 2012, Mike Cammalleri was pulled from a game mid-period and told he’d been traded. That’s how fast hockey moves.
NBA: Mid-Game Benching is More Common
In basketball, things move slower. Trades happen often, but the rules and paperwork slow everything down. Teams have to match salaries and get league approval.
So what you usually see is a player getting benched mid-game because they’ve been traded. Like in 2019, when Harrison Barnes sat on the Mavericks bench after being traded to the Kings. Everyone knew, but he couldn’t leave until the deal was official.
There is one weird case, though. In 1979, a game was replayed months later due to a protest. In that time, Eric Money had been traded from one team to the other. When the game resumed, he played for the other team. He’s the only player in NBA history to score for both teams in the same game.
NFL: This Just Doesn’t Happen
Football is a different world. Players don’t switch teams and play right away. The schedule, rules, and playbooks make it almost impossible.
Games are once a week. Rosters are locked in days ahead. Players need to learn entire systems. And there are contract rules about weekly pay that make this kind of thing a nightmare. It just doesn’t happen.
The closest thing? In 1978, Alan Page played against the same opponent four times in one season because he switched teams mid-year. That’s it.
Why I Love These Stories
These moments are rare. But they’re unforgettable.
It’s Seranthony Domínguez switching jerseys mid-day. It’s Joel Youngblood sprinting through airports. It’s Harrison Barnes sitting awkwardly while the world finds out before he does.
These moments show the human side of sports. The business side. The weird side. The part you don’t always see on the field or court.
And honestly? They make me love sports even more.
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