CHICAGO -- The Cubs' Sept. 8 game against the Brewers, which was originally scheduled to start at 1:20 p.m. CT, will now start at 7:05 p.m., a rare Friday night regular-season game at Wrigley Field.
"We thank Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel for his receptiveness to address this scheduling issue, which has posed a challenge for Cubs teams over the years when returning home from the road," said Crane Kenney, the Cubs' president of business operations. "We are glad to have been able to work together to address this issue and help our team and organization as we compete to play October baseball."
The Cubs are set to open a four-game series in Pittsburgh on Monday and close that series with a night game on Sept. 7.
The City of Chicago is allowing the one-time exemption. Emanuel said in a statement that with the Cubs "in the thick of a pennant race, we're going to make sure the Cubs can focus on doing what they need to do, winning ballgames and bringing another World Series back to Chicago."
Alderman Tom Tunney, who represents the Wrigleyville area, said in a statement that he hopes the exemption "will further ensure a playoff berth for our Cubs."