All 9 positions in 1 game? Only 5 have done it

Utility players are the unsung heroes of an MLB roster, as their versatility usually leads to them moving all around the diamond. That said, even the most versatile of utility players typically focus on just a few spots and rarely play all nine positions over the course of a season or even a career.

But a select group of players has topped even that, achieving the career highlight of playing all nine positions in one game. Here is a breakdown of the five players in AL/NL history to accomplish this rare feat.

Andrew Romine, Tigers
Sept. 30, 2017, at Twins

Romine’s feat was two years in the making, as he and then-Tigers manager Brad Ausmus first discussed the idea in 2015 before tabling it until the Tigers fell out of the postseason hunt in 2017. Romine – who came into the game having played every position but catcher in his career – knocked out the three outfield positions in the first three innings. From there, he bounced around the infield, with the highlight being a 4-6-3 double play that he helped turn while playing shortstop.

Romine’s quest around the diamond reached its apex in the seventh inning when he made his career first appearance at catcher, complete with a hand-me-down catcher’s mitt courtesy of his brother Austin Romine. An inning later he moved to the mound (where he got Miguel Sanó to ground out on a 85 mph fastball) before shifting to first base to complete his checklist. Romine went on to play three more seasons with the Mariners, Rangers and Cubs, and finished his career as a .233 hitter in 11 MLB seasons.

Shane Halter, Tigers
Oct. 1, 2000, vs. Twins

Seventeen years before Romine completed his trip around the diamond against the Twins, Halter did the exact same thing under eerily similar circumstances, as he played all nine positions in the Tigers’ season finale… which was also against the Twins.

Like the Tigers of 2017, Halter was able to play every position thanks to his team falling out of postseason contention.

Halter started at first base, moved to third base and then shifted to the outfield. After that, he spent an inning at shortstop and catcher (where he displaced Ausmus, who started behind the plate) before moving to the mound, where he issued a five-pitch walk to Matt LeCroy. He completed the feat with an appearance at second base. All that movement didn’t hinder Halter at the plate, as he went 4-for-5 with three RBIs along with scoring the game-winning run on a walk-off hit by Hal Morris.

Halter went on to play three more seasons in Detroit – he recorded a career-high 65 RBIs in 2001 – and finished his career as a .246 hitter in eight MLB seasons.

Scott Sheldon, Rangers
Sept. 6, 2000, at White Sox

A little less than a month before Halter played every position, Sheldon completed a quick tour around the diamond, as he played all nine positions in a game that he entered in the fourth inning. Sheldon, who had played 22 MLB games prior to 2000, played all eight positions in a Spring Training game, and was given the go-ahead to play every position by Texas manager Johnny Oates after the White Sox took a 10-1 lead.

Sheldon entered the game as a catcher (one of his four career appearances at the position), and moved to first base in the fifth inning. That started his mad dash around the field, which included two innings in which he played at least two positions.

The highlight of his appearance came when he was on the mound, as he struck out Jeff Liefer on five pitches, with the final pitch coming in the form of a 67 mph “changeup.”

Sheldon played one more season with Rangers before spending two seasons in the NPB.

Cesar Tovar, Twins
Sept. 22, 1968, vs. A's

A long-time Minnesota Twin who earned MVP votes in five seasons, Tovar etched his name into MLB’s record books when he played every position in a game in 1968.

Tovar got the hard part out of the way first by starting on the mound, where he pitched a scoreless inning in which he got Bert Campaneris (more on him later) to ground out, along with striking out Reggie Jackson. He caught in the second inning, with the Minneapolis Star Tribune writing that Tovar was in a semi-crouched stance due to “the shin guards being too long for his stubby legs.”

In total, Tovar fielded one ground ball, along with recording five putouts. He also stole a base in the third inning, which set a new Twins record with 33 steals. The team rewarded him with a color TV for his performance. It was the only game in his career where he pitched, caught or played first base.

Bert Campaneris, A's
Sept. 8, 1965, vs. Angels

The most accomplished player on this list, Campaneris, a six-time All-Star, became the first player in AL/NL history to play all nine positions in an eventful game.

Tensions were high from the start, as the California Angels took exception to what was essentially a publicity stunt, with Angels manager Bill Rigney telling the Press-Telegram that Campaneris planning to play every position was “bush.”

When Campaneris did take the field, it was a day of peaks and valleys. After a couple of uneventful innings, he dropped a routine fly ball in the sixth inning that allowed the Angels to score a run. Two innings later his pitching appearance went off the rails when he allowed an RBI single that was set up by two straight walks.

That all ended up paling in comparison to his ninth inning, which he spent behind the plate. The Angels’ Ed Kirkpatrick started the inning with a single, stole second and ended up at third base with two outs. While there, Kirkpatrick took off towards home on a pitch in the dirt, which resulted in a jarring collision between Kirkpatrick and Campaneris that nearly ended with the two of them coming to blows.

While the game went to extra innings, Campaneris missed the end, as he was sent to St. Luke’s Hospital due to a left shoulder injury sustained in the collision.