The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs will play Sunday’s regular-season finale not at Fenway Park or even Wrigley Field. Instead, the game will take place at Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays and 1,300 miles from Boston, after drenching nor’easter rains chased the playoff-bound clubs south.
The last-minute switch marks just the sixth time in league history weather has forced a neutral-site game, and it’s never happened to a Red Sox home series before.
MLB tried first to simply outrun the storm. Sunday’s originally scheduled game got moved into Friday’s split-admission doubleheader, and Boston took both ends, 4-3 and 2-0. But by Friday afternoon, Game 162 still had nowhere to be played without an extremely adverse weather forecast.
The Tampa Bay Rays close their own season on the road in Philadelphia today, leaving Tropicana Field open as a neutral site for the Red Sox and Cubs. The stadium is a dome, meaning that even if the Tampa Bay region got bad weather, the game could still go ahead. Both clubs flew south Friday night “to ensure the safety of both traveling parties,” MLB said.
Rays chief executive Ken Babby framed the assist as a favor returned.
“When Tropicana Field was damaged, clubs throughout the league stepped up to support our organization, and we’re pleased to return the favor,” Babby said, as quoted by MLB.com.
The National Weather Service in Boston calls for showers, possible thunderstorms, a high near 63 and gusts to 38 mph, with a 100 percent chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service’s Boston forecast. Monday brings more showers, a high near 60, and gusts up to 25 mph.
Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs Join Unusual History
Only five games or series had ever been forced to a neutral site by weather before Sunday. Those were New York Yankees-Tampa Bay Rays to Citi Field in 2017 (Hurricane Irma), Texas Rangers-Houston Astros to Tropicana Field that same year (Harvey), Cubs-Astros to Miller Park in 2008 (Ike), Los Angeles Angels-Cleveland Indians to Miller Park in 2007 (snow), and Montreal Expos-Florida Marlins to U.S. Cellular Field in 2004 (Ivan).
The Cubs have technically lived this before, as the visiting team when Ike pushed that 2008 Astros series to Milwaukee. The Red Sox have no such history. Boston has never had a home series relocated for weather, a streak that ends today at Tropicana Field.
Red Sox, Cubs Face Bigger October Stakes
Boston is locked into the American League’s No. 5 seed and opens a best-of-three Wild Card Series at the New York Yankees on Tuesday, with the winner facing the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series, according to MLB’s official playoff picture and bracket. Chicago clinched the National League’s No. 5 seed and opens on the road against the San Diego Padres, with the Milwaukee Brewers awaiting that winner.
Boston flies from Tampa to New York Sunday night for a trip that could stretch 11 days if the Red Sox advance back to St. Petersburg for the ALDS, according to the Boston Globe‘s account of the itinerary. Chicago heads 2,100 miles west to San Diego for Tuesday’s opener.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy found some levity in the chaos.
“We’re going to have had way worse travel days this year,” Tracy said, as quoted by the Globe. “It’s just the plane ride, a day off potentially. It’s been a lot worse.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell shrugged off the whole operation.
“From the players’ perspective, it’s just show up and play,” Counsell said, per the Globe. “Just tell us where to play. We’ll play.”
Tropicana Field hosts the 2026 regular season finale Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET, and by Tuesday both clubs will be somewhere else entirely, playing games that matter.
Why Are Red Sox and Cubs Playing in Tampa Bay Today? How Did They Get Here?