MLBSep 25
Red Sox-Cubs Finale Shifts to Tropicana Field as Storm Threatens Boston
Boston and Chicago will finish the regular season Sunday in St. Petersburg, avoiding a Monday game before their wild-card schedules begin Tuesday.
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Weather forces another change
The Red Sox and Cubs are headed to Tropicana Field for their regular-season finale, with poor weather forecast for Boston prompting the league to move the game to St. Petersburg, Florida. The matchup is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The clubs played a Friday doubleheader ahead of a nor'easter expected to bring rain to Boston throughout Saturday and Sunday. They will fly to St. Petersburg late Friday, take Saturday off and complete their regular-season schedules Sunday. The league had initially planned to stage the remaining game Saturday in Boston before the rain arrived. The forecast ultimately required a different venue as well as a return to Sunday.
Postseason timing shapes the decision
Both teams are headed to the wild-card round, which begins Tuesday, and neither wanted the regular season to stretch into Monday. The Florida arrangement avoids that outcome while also addressing Chicago's concerns about its pitching schedule. Cubs manager Craig Counsell had objected to advancing the finale to Saturday because it would disrupt the starting rotation and leave the team without a starter ready for that day. Chicago still has postseason positioning at stake in the NL wild-card race. Boston, meanwhile, is already locked into the No. 3 seed in the AL. The revised plan gives both clubs Saturday off before the finale without pushing the game closer to their playoff openers.
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