By Salem Chicago News Staff
Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Saturday’s scheduled regular-season finale between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park has been relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The game will be played Sunday at 2:05 p.m. CT, with the Red Sox serving as the home team. A forecast nor’easter threatening heavy rain, high winds and potential flooding along the Northeast coast forced the move.
“We’re proud to support our partners across Major League Baseball by hosting the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field,” Tampa Bay Rays chief executive officer Ken Babby said.
Babby noted the relocation returns a favor. When Tropicana Field was damaged in recent years, clubs throughout the league stepped up to support the Rays.
“We’re grateful for that solidarity and are pleased to return the favor by welcoming the Cubs, Red Sox, and their fans,” Babby said.
The relocation is believed to be only the sixth time in MLB history that weather concerns have required moving games to a neutral site. Previous instances include Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Ike in 2008 and a snowstorm in Cleveland in 2007.
The game carries significant postseason implications. The Cubs, Padres and Phillies entered the final weekend in a tight race for NL Wild Card seeding. Chicago secured a postseason berth earlier in the week but is still jockeying for favorable positioning as the Wild Card Series begins Tuesday.
Two of the three weekend games had already been rescheduled earlier in the week. Sunday’s originally scheduled game was moved to Friday as part of a split doubleheader, and Friday’s contest was pushed to a 6:05 p.m. ET start. The third and final game was the one ultimately relocated to Tampa.
On the AL side, the Red Sox hold the American League’s second Wild Card spot and are projected to finish as the No. 5 seed. Their seeding is not yet mathematically locked in.
Third baseman Alex Bregman has been a force for the Cubs down the stretch. He hit three home runs in a game on Monday and has powered a Chicago offense that set a franchise record with 62 home runs in August.
Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the frontrunner for NL MVP honors, has continued his breakout campaign with five home runs over a recent two-game span.
Fans can purchase tickets to Sunday’s relocated game through Tropicana Field’s box office and Ticketmaster. MLB said that if any games could not be completed over the weekend, makeup dates would be scheduled Monday if the outcomes affected postseason seeding.
The Cubs open their postseason Tuesday at a site to be determined.
