On September 8, 1965, Bert Campaneris became the first player in AL/NL history to play all nine positions in a single game, for the Kansas City Athletics against the California Angels.
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.
— MLB.com
Source: Baseball-Reference box score.