Why a Nor'easter Reshaped the Cubs–Red Sox Series at Fenway
Summary: Readers will learn why a late-season nor'easter forced the Red Sox and Cubs to reshuffle their Fenway series, how MLB and the teams are handling Saturday's storm threat, and why the outcome could affect National League playoff seeding.
A storm, not a rivalry, is driving the schedule at Fenway Park. With a nor'easter expected to hit the Boston area over the weekend, Major League Baseball and the Red Sox made a series of scheduling moves to squeeze in the final games of the regular season.
By Friday, the Red Sox and Cubs were set to play two. With the storm forecast, MLB had already moved up Sunday's regular-season finale at Fenway and scheduled a Friday doubleheader. Then Game 2's start time shifted from 6:05 p.m. ET to 5:35 p.m. ET, a change made in consultation with MLB because conditions were expected to worsen later in the evening. Fenway Park gates for the second game are scheduled to open at 4:35 p.m. ET.
A Friday Doubleheader, Then a Question
The doubleheader is the easy part. Saturday's game, currently scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET, is the problem. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said the weekend weather "doesn't look good" and that discussions were ongoing about playing the season's final game at an alternate site if a weather window does not open.
"There's been discussions around an alternate site," Tracy said. "They've talked about a handful of different places, but at this point nothing is concrete."
No specific city has been confirmed. If the game moves, Tracy said he expects it would be played Sunday around 3 p.m. ET, when the rest of the league's finales are set to begin. Time is tight. The clubs would need to leave Friday night after the doubleheader, before the storm closes in.
Why the Games Matter
This is not a meaningless three-game wrap-up. Both Boston and Chicago have clinched playoff spots, but the Cubs are in the middle of a tight National League wild-card race. Just before the series, the Cubs, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies were separated by one game. The final results will help determine which team takes the top wild-card spot, hosts its first-round series, and which team faces the NL East champion Atlanta Braves.
That makes every schedule decision consequential. An alternate-site game would remove home-field advantage from the equation for at least one contest and force both rosters to adjust travel plans midweekend. It would also be a logistical challenge for fans, who bought tickets expecting games at Fenway.
What Happens Next
A decision on Saturday's game needs to come quickly. Tracy said if no call had been made by Friday morning, the team would report to Fenway prepared to play the doubleheader and then potentially fly out on short notice. The first two games look likely to be played; Tracy said even the second game might see some drizzles, but the weather does not appear bad enough to stop it.
The broadcast details for the doubleheader are set. Both games will air on NESN, with English radio on WEEI 93.7 FM and Spanish radio on WESX 1230 AM/WCCM 1490 AM. The bigger question is whether Sunday's game stays in Boston. For now, that answer remains open.