Sweep, schedule change puts pressure solely on Cubs' shoulders

Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya (9) and pitcher Colin Rea (53) walk back to the dugout after ending the top of the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sweep, schedule change puts pressure solely on Cubs' shoulders

By Kevin Henry | Last updated Sep 25, 2026 9:02 PM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Chicago Cubs are traveling anything but the easy road to get to the National League postseason.

With what has seemingly been a schedule in flux thanks to a storm hitting the East Coast this weekend, the final game of the Cubs' season (and one that could well determine the final seeding among the NL's three wild-card teams) will be played against the Boston Red Sox inside Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday afternoon.

Originally a traditional three-game weekend series at Fenway Park to end the season, the threat coming from a powerful nor'easter forced a doubleheader on Friday in Boston to get ahead of the rain. The third game of the revised series was originally scheduled to be played in Boston on Saturday night, but the forecast forced the teams to find a haven to play what will be a meaningful Game 162.

The final game is now on Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg, forcing the Cubs and Red Sox to endure an additional unplanned trip right before the postseason schedule begins.

MLB announced today that the #RedSox series finale against the Cubs will be relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

Originally set for 7:15 p.m. on September 26 at Fenway Park, the new game is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. on September 27 at the home of the Rays. pic.twitter.com/zrfKSu6e9L
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 25, 2026

Relocation will add extra hassle, pressure for Chicago Cubs

While flying to Florida for one game is an extra burden for both teams, it can be argued it's a greater issue for the Cubs. Boston's postseason fate is already locked in as the second wild-card team, meaning they will face off against the New York Yankees in the Bronx beginning on Tuesday.

The Cubs, meanwhile, have dropped the first two games of this series after a Friday sweep in Boston. Now at 88-73, Chicago is in danger of slipping to the sixth seed in the bracket, which would set up a matchup in Atlanta against the NL East champion Braves.

One thing is almost certain after Friday, and that is that the Cubs will not host games in the wild-card round. It would take the San Diego Padres losing all three games at home, beginning on Friday night, and the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Cubs winning on Sunday for the Cubs to be able to employ the tiebreaker they have over the Padres. They also own the tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Phillies as well.

And yes, Arizona could still get into the postseason as well with a sweep of the Padres and a stumble by the Phillies.

With a forced off day on Saturday, the Cubs now will have plenty of time to scoreboard-watch and prepare for what will likely be a pressure-filled Sunday for them inside Tropicana Field.

Kevin Henry

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), Kevin Henry has been covering MLB and MiLB for nearly two decades. Those assignments have included All-Star Games and the MLB postseason, including the World Series. Based in the Denver area, Kevin calls Coors Field his home base, but travels throughout North America during the season to discover the best stories possible

More must-reads: