The start times for two of this weekend's three Cubs-Red Sox games at Fenway Park have been changed due to the threat of inclement weather. Sunday’s originally scheduled game will now be played on Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET (12:05 p.m. CT) as the first game of a split doubleheader. Friday’s originally scheduled contest will move up to 6:05 p.m. ET.
The Red Sox made the change in consultation with Major League Baseball and the Chicago Cubs due to the forecast of a major nor’easter expected to bring heavy rain, high winds, and potential flooding to the region during the weekend. The new start times are expected to provide the best opportunity to play the final series of the regular season this weekend. Tickets for the originally scheduled games will be good for admission at the newly scheduled times.
With the Cubs, Padres and Phillies heading into Wednesday with identical 87-70 records in the NL Wild Card standings, inclement weather could throw a wrench into the seeding situation. The Cubs can clinch a postseason berth as early as Wednesday night with a win over the Marlins at Wrigley Field or a loss by the D-backs at Colorado.
On the AL side, the Red Sox entered Wednesday holding the American League's second Wild Card spot, trailing the Yankees by an insurmountable six games but holding a three-game lead over the third spot (currently the White Sox). While it’s likely the Red Sox will end up as the No. 5 seed, that is not locked in. The Rangers are on the outside looking in, three games back of the White Sox and six behind Boston.
When similar situations have happened in the past, Major League Baseball has worked with the clubs and MLB Players’ Association to proactively reschedule when feasible. In 2017, for example, a September series between the Rays and Yankees that was supposed to be played at Tropicana Field was preemptively moved to Citi Field as a precaution ahead of Hurricane Irma.
If this weekend's Cubs-Red Sox series were not able to be played in full, the two clubs would make up any missed games on Monday (the day before the start of the Wild Card Series) if the outcome of those games mattered for postseason seeding. This happened two years ago when the Mets and Braves played a doubleheader the day after the scheduled end to the regular season after Hurricane Helene had washed out two previous games. The teams split the doubleheader, allowing both clubs to advance to the postseason while eliminating the D-backs, who watched from home. If the Cubs and Red Sox were to play on Monday, that would cost them their only off-day ahead of the start of their respective Wild Card Series.
The Cubs are currently playing a home series against the Marlins, then will head to Boston for their final road series. The Cubs went 6-1 against the Phillies – with all seven games being played in April – to claim the tiebreaker over Philadelphia. The North Siders won five of their six matchups against San Diego to pick up the tiebreaker over the Padres as well. Because of this, the Cubs own not only both head-to-head tiebreakers, but also a three-team tiebreaker. The Phillies own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Padres.
The Phillies (second in the Wild Card picture) host the Brewers and Rays over the final five games of their season. The Padres (third in the NL Wild Card race, entering Wednesday) are in Los Angeles for a set against the Dodgers before ending the season at home against the D-backs.
A year ago, Chicago hosted the Padres in the NL Wild Card round at Wrigley Field, won in three games and advanced to the NL Division Series.