Cubs, Red Sox Could Reportedly End Regular Season in Unconventional Fashion

With the possibility of a major storm hitting Boston this weekend, the Red Sox are hatching a plan to get all three games in against the Cubs.

May 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A general view of the field at Fenway Park covered during a rain delay before the start of a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the past week, the regular season series finale between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox has been shrouded in the possibility of a massive storm.

MLB has had to scramble for solutions, and one stands out: A doubleheader to open the series on Friday.

The Boston Globe's Tim Healey reported Wednesday afternoon that the Red Sox and Cubs are planning to do so.

The two teams were originally scheduled to play the first two games of the series at 6:10 and 6:15 p.m. CT on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The series is tentatively scheduled to conclude on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. CT.

I can't stress enough how messy the Cubs and Red Sox situation is about to get if anything close to a storm like this comes to fruition next weekend (a high likelihood given the blocking pattern in eastern Canada).

The Red Sox are virtually locked into the second AL Wild Card… pic.twitter.com/E4jKktW63x

— Matthew Gross (@MattGross87) September 21, 2026

But the forecast for the East Coast this weekend is menacing. It currently predicts heavy rainfall and high winds affecting several major cities in the area, including Boston and New York City.

Healey also reported on Tuesday that despite the forecast, MLB wasn't planning to move the series to a neutral site.

MLB has no plans to move Cubs-Red Sox out of Boston this weekend.

The forecast looks particularly bad beginning Saturday evening. It’s possible they try to play all three games before then.

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) September 22, 2026

Delays and postponements are typical in an MLB season, but when it affects Game 162, there's no longer any wiggle room. The playoffs are set to begin on Tuesday, and both Chicago and Boston are in position to play in their respective wild card series.

The Red Sox clinched a postseason berth on Sept. 20, and the Cubs can do so with either a win over the Miami Marlins or an Arizona Diamondbacks loss on Wednesday.

Based on NL and AL Wild Card standings entering play on Wednesday, the final series has seeding implications for both the Cubs and the Red Sox.

The Cubs remain deadlocked with the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Cubs' quest for the No. 1 seed and home field advantage could very well rest on the results of Game 162.

The Red Sox are not in as tight a situation, but they are still trying to maintain a three-game lead over the Chicago White Sox for the No. 2 seed and the right to play the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series next week.

A very similar situation occurred in 2024 with the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. A penultimate regular-season series between two teams in the wild card race saw two of its three games in Atlanta postponed and moved to a doubleheader the following Monday due to rain from Hurricane Helene. The Mets and Braves split the doubleheader, and the Mets went on to reach the NLCS.

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