Massive Storm Could Complicate End of MLB Regular Season

The final week of the MLB season is upon us, and Mother Nature may be about to throw a wrench into what has become an extremely close playoff race.

The Cubs currently hold the National League’s top wild-card spot over the Padres by virtue of a tie-breaker, with the Phillies one game behind them. They’re set to finish the season with a three-game set at Fenway Park against the Red Sox, who have clinched a playoff spot but aren’t yet locked into their seed. They occupy the AL’s second wild-card spot.

That series carries significant postseason implications, particularly for Chicago, which leads San Diego by the narrowest of margins. MLB needs that series to be played without delays, as it wraps up on Sunday, and the wild-card round begins two days later. Unfortunately, the weather may not cooperate.

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

An early-season nor’easter is developing in New England, and it could wind up being a multi-day affair later in the week as the Cubs and Red Sox prepare to play those three crucial games. According to NBC 10 Boston, the network’s model guidance shows a familiar pattern for New England residents when a major storm hits.

The network’s prediction is as follows:

Strong wind, heavy rain, and possible coastal flooding. Of course, the moon will be full by the end of the week, heightening the worries of moderate/major flooding at the coast.

Small fluctuations in the storm's path and intensity will be the main points we’ll be tracking, but for now, it appears a storm of some magnitude will soak us down and bring gusty winds to at least the coastline.

This is really worrying news, not just for the two teams involved, but for MLB, which needs both squads to complete 162 games. It could potentially lead to a scenario where the teams are forced into a late-season doubleheader, as the Mets and Braves were back in 2024. In that scenario, heavy rains in Atlanta forced two late-season games to be canceled, and they had to be made up with a doubleheader on the Monday after the regular season was scheduled to end.

The situation in 2024 was even more dire than this one appears. The Red Sox have clinched their spot, and the Cubs’ magic number to clinch their spot is one. Boston is likely locked into the second AL wild-card spot, and Chicago is all but guaranteed to be in the field, though their seed is very much still up in the air. In 2024, playoff elimination was on the line.

Entering that doubleheader, the state of play was if the teams split, they both made the playoffs, but if one team won two games, the other would be out. In the end, the Mets won the first game, the Braves won the second, and both made the playoffs. Atlanta was swept by the Padres in the wild-card round, while New York made a surprising run to the NLCS, where it fell to the eventual World Series-winning Dodgers.

The prospect of canceled games requiring makeups should frighten both teams, especially if those games end up mattering. The open date on Monday allows teams to travel and rest players, but if those two teams need to play a game, it will put them at a severe disadvantage, something MLB would love to avoid.

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