ST. PETERSBURG — Strange day, indeed.
For the second straight weekend, the Red Sox were at Tropicana Field, this time as the home team (but still in the visitors’ clubhouse and dugout). There were no postseason ramifications in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Cubs because everything had been decided.
Game 162 was shifted from Boston’s Fenway Park to the Trop as a precautionary move because of the weekend nor’easter that battered the East Coast with torrential rain and heavy winds. On short notice, a lively crowd of 20,411 turned up. It was rewarded with the presence of two high-profile teams, a Spring Training vibe and a few Red Sox-influenced touches (scoreboard graphics in Green Monster motif and the eighth-inning playing of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline’’).
“It’s odd,’’ Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle said before the game. “Here we are back in [St. Petersburg]. It’s kind of fun to be part of a future trivia question. The postseason stage already is set for us. So we’re going out there to have fun and try to end the season on a high note.’’
It didn’t quite work out that way for the Red Sox (87-75), who were limited to five hits (and just two after the second inning) in a 6-2 defeat. That included a first-inning solo home run from catcher Adley Rutschman. For the Cubs, designated hitter Alex Bregman was a one-man gang (4-for-4 with two homers, a double, a walk and four RBIs).
“We played the game; now we’ll get on a plane to New York [for the American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees], and hopefully we’ll be back here for a third straight weekend [at the Trop],’’ Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said.
If the Red Sox defeat the Yankees, they would return here Saturday for Game 1 of the AL Division Series. Last weekend – after completing a series against the Rays, then waiting about an hour for an Astros defeat – Boston staged a wild champagne-and-beer celebration after clinching a postseason berth at the Trop.
“Hopefully, we’re popping more bottles in here,’’ Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin said. “Obviously, we’ve got to focus on the first round [against the Yankees]. It is funny being back here after just being here. Hopefully, it’s smooth travels to New York, and then ideally, we’re back here again.’’
“It’s getting to be like a second home for us,’’ Tolle said. “We definitely want to come back here for a third straight weekend. Kind of wild when you think about it.’’
Even as Sunday’s home team, the Red Sox utilized the visitors’ clubhouse. Perhaps that was due to familiarity. Or maybe there was another reason.
“I’m sure they [the Rays] don’t want us in their locker room,’’ Tracy said with a laugh.
Just the thought of a Red Sox postseason berth was laughable a few months back. On June 24, the Red Sox were 32-46 and 15 1/2 games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East race. After Tracy replaced Alex Cora as manager on April 26, he oversaw a dramatic comeback that featured a 55-29 kick after the club sunk to its lowest ebb.
“We performed well over the course of those 162 games, so we’re looking forward to the opportunity ahead of us,’’ Durbin said.
And speaking of comebacks, Sunday’s game was one to savor for right-hander Tanner Houck, making his first Major League appearance since May 12, 2025, and long-term recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery. Houck threw 50 pitches (34 strikes) over three innings, allowing three runs (including both of Bregman’s homers).
“A lot of emotions,’’ Houck said. “Definitely a little nervous, a lot of excitement, just a lot of joy and gratitude for going out there and competing again. And I just kept saying, ‘Just be a real boy again, just go play the game that I love.’
“It’s all glory to God that He allowed this process to go smoothly. Thirteen months later [after surgery], this was the goal from day one, to get back on a [Major League] mound in September, and I did that. I’ll take the good, leave the bad, just keep moving forward and keep pushing.’’