The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will play at a different time than originally scheduled on Aug. 30, creating a potential source of confusion for fans planning to watch the game.
The reason behind the unusual schedule change also explains when fans can expect the Cubs and Reds to take the field.
Major League Baseball and NBC Sports flexed the Wrigley Field matchup into primetime on Sunday Night Baseball, announcing the move Wednesday as one of two Sunday adjustments built around clubs still standing in playoff position, according to a press release from NBC Sports.
Chicago carried a 61-46 record into Wednesday, six games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central and clear of the field in the wild card standings. Cincinnati sat at 50-56, last in the division. The Cubs were the selling point.
Cubs Start Time Change for Reds Game at Wrigley Field
The matchup had been set for 3:10 p.m. ET, a 2:10 p.m. first pitch in Chicago. NBC listed the new national window at 7 p.m. ET, with the game carried on both the broadcast network and Peacock.
First pitch itself lands at 7:20 p.m. ET, 6:20 p.m. Central, as reported by Jeff Wallner. Chicago Sun-Times media columnist Jeff Agrest also confirmed the flex Wednesday, putting the game at 6 p.m. Central on NBC.
The reshuffling did not stop at Wrigley. The Houston Astros‘ game at the New York Mets, originally slotted into that 7 p.m. ET national window, drops back to a 3 p.m. ET start on NBC and Peacock, according to Newsday‘s Dan Lennon. The Mets entered Wednesday at 45-62, fifth in the National League East.
Chicago Cubs Draw Primetime Slot Amid NL Wild Card Race
Flex scheduling is standard machinery in baseball’s national television deals. Networks lock in a Sunday night matchup months in advance, then swap it out closer to the date when the standings produce something better. A Cubs club leading the wild card chase and hosting a division rival in the final week of August cleared that bar. Sunday Night Baseball airs on NBC and Peacock under the league’s current national rights agreement.
The Cubs’ front office spent the run-up to the August 3 trade deadline shopping for pitching and designated veteran starter Jameson Taillon for assignment on Monday. Taillon carried a 5.92 ERA and negative WAR at the time of the transaction.
The Reds arrive 16 1/2 games behind Milwaukee and 10 1/2 behind Chicago. NBC scheduled the matchup on the strength of the home team and the division tag attached to it.
Chicago’s position in that race was the stated reason for the move. The Cubs entered Wednesday ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks, the other two National League clubs holding wild card berths, with the San Diego Padres a game and a half back of the third spot.
The Chicago White Sox got the same call one week later. The AL Central leaders were flexed into the September 6 Sunday night window against the Minnesota Twins at 6 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN, pushing the previously scheduled Toronto Blue Jays-Kansas City Royals game to local markets and MLB.TV.
Tickets already purchased for the Cubs-Reds game remain valid. Schedules and start times update automatically in the MLB Ballpark app, and Wrigley gates will open on the primetime timetable rather than the afternoon one.
Sunday Night Baseball continues this weekend, with the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Boston Red Sox on August 2 at 7 p.m. ET.
Why is the Reds-Cubs Game Time Changing August 30? When Will it Start?