Chicago Cubs will play regular-season finale in Tampa because of storm headed for Boston

BOSTON — Mother Nature is forcing the Chicago Cubs to take a detour en route to the postseason.

Because of the incoming nor’easter hitting the Boston area starting Friday night, the Cubs regular-season finale Sunday against the Red Sox is being moved from Fenway Park to Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida. The game is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. CT.

Both teams are departing following Game 2 of Friday’s doubleheader. They will be off Saturday, then play Sunday to align with all the rest of MLB’s final games of the regular season that afternoon.

The Cubs still don’t know where they will be traveling to after Sunday’s game ahead of their best-of-three wild-card series that starts Tuesday.

With their 4-3 loss in Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Cubs need help to host the wild-card series at Wrigley Field. They must win their final two games against the Red Sox or win one game and the Philadelphia Phillies lose to the Rays while the San Diego Padres need to lose at least two of their three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks for the Cubs to secure home-field advantage.

“The more you try to control in this game, typically, for one, the least amount of fun it is, but also it’s impossible and so sometimes these situations, like, there’s not much you can do about it,” Game 1 starter Clay Holmes said. “You can’t control this. We’re going to show up and do the things that we can, and whatever that is, wherever that is, we’re going to go play. Not ideal, but sometimes they help you just take your hands off and really whatever the game is, just go compete.”