The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs seem to have set their plan pretty much in stone, although MLB has yet to make an official announcement.
With weather coming to Boston via a massive nor’easter, it’s highly unlikely the Red Sox and Cubs can finish their three-game series as regularly scheduled for one game Friday, one game Saturday and one game Sunday.
Instead, they initially made a change to have a doubleheader on Friday and another game on Saturday.
Now? It looks most likely that they’ll head to the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana Field.
They still will probably see if they can get two games played Friday at Fenway Park. And from there, the plane flight schedules signal what comes next.
Plane Flight Schedules Reveal Truth
Even though MLB hasn’t announced anything yet, some Internet sleuths have gotten to the bottom of this.
One investigator found that the Red Sox team charter plane has a scheduled flight to Tampa at 10 p.m. on Friday:
The Red Sox team charter has a scheduled flight to Tampa at 10pm this evening. pic.twitter.com/nc5bVlQJld
— Jake Roy (@Jake3Roy) September 25, 2026
“For what it’s worth, I’d imagine they have to put this on the schedule regardless of whether it’s actually happening due to air traffic control stuff,” Jake Roy wrote in a follow-up post on X.
The Cubs’ team charter flight also has a scheduled trip to Tampa at 10 p.m. on Friday:
Cubs team charter has a scheduled flight tonight as well pic.twitter.com/s2t6jdhfdW
— Austin Champagne (@achamp100) September 25, 2026
The teams already moved the second game of Friday’s doubleheader up from 6:05 p.m. first pitch to 5:35 p.m. first pitch. It sure seems like they’re trying to get out of town.
It sounds like, based on MassLive’s Chris Cotillo’s reporting on X, that the final game of the series would be played on Sunday afternoon, like the rest of the season finales across the league.
Why Tampa Bay?
There are multiple reasons why Tampa Bay — really, St. Petersburg — is the answer.
The first is simply that the Rays are on the road this weekend, playing out the rest of their season in Philadelphia (where there could also be weather concerns but evidently not to the point of Boston’s).
The second is that it’s a neutral field. Some wondered if they could just go to Wrigley Field, but the other National League teams fighting with the Cubs in the standings wouldn’t like them getting extra home games.
And the third? It’s a dome down there. The weather can’t get to them and mess with this series anymore.
With both teams slated to play in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 29, having action done by Sunday is pretty crucial.
So while it isn’t confirmed, everything about the Tropicana Field plan makes sense. It just has to be made official, although flight schedules certainly make it seem to be the case.
Red Sox, Cubs Scheduled Plane Flights Reveal Tampa Bay Game Plans