Red Sox close wild regular season with 6-2 loss to Cubs; Yankees await

As New England dealt with a soggy Sunday thanks to the nor’easter that battered the region over the weekend, the Red Sox closed out their strange regular season down in Florida.

Boston’s regular season ended with a 6-2 loss to the Cubs at Tropicana Field, putting the finishing touches on an 87-75 campaign that once appeared headed nowhere. The Red Sox were 14 games under .500 in late June before turning their season around and securing a second consecutive postseason appearance.

With the regular season officially over, Boston’s record resets to 0-0 and on Tuesday night, the Red Sox head to Yankee Stadium for a rematch of last year’s American League Wild Card Series.

Before turning their attention completely toward New York, the Red Sox used Sunday’s unusual finale to get one final look at several players who could factor into their postseason plans.

Willson Contreras returned to the lineup for the first time since being hit on the right hand by a pitch against the Rangers on Sept. 17. After being unable to swing comfortably for much of the past week, Contreras started at designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before Jahmai Jones replaced him in the fifth inning.

“We’re just getting guys off their feet,” Chad Tracy said about removing Contreras from the game in the fifth inning. 

Tracy told reporters before the game that Contreras' hand showed improvement during a team workout on Saturday, allowing him to pencil the slugger into the lineup for Sunday afternoon. 

“Pretty significant,” Tracy said. “We were able to come in here yesterday and do a team workout with some guys who needed to touch the mound or get some work. He was one of them. To be able to see him come out, take (batting practice) and hit some live (pitching), that was a huge step.”

Tanner Houck also made his long-awaited return to a major league mound.

Activated from the 60-day injured list before the game, Houck made his first big league start since May 12, 2025, following Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over three innings, striking out two while throwing 34 of his 50 pitches for strikes.

“It felt good to at least get out there, and just be a part of the team,” Houck told reporters postgame. “It’s been fun to watch from afar. To go out there and actually get to play, after the long process, it’s a good feeling.”

Houck’s return comes at an opportune time for Boston. With Tyron Guerrero unexpectedly placed on the injured list Sunday, Houck could provide another right-handed option out of the bullpen against New York.

The Cubs quickly welcomed Houck back to a big league mound when Alex Bregman, playing in  just his second game since returning from multiple fractures in his left cheek, homered in each of his first two at-bats. 

Bregman went deep on Houck in the first and third innings, giving him 28 homers on the season. He singled in the fifth, walked in the seventh and added an RBI double in the ninth as part of a four-hit afternoon.

“Obviously, Bregman got us today,” Tracy said. “But good to see (Houck) back out there. And being the first time in 15 months, I thought he looked pretty good.”

Patrick Sandoval followed Houck and made another case to factor into Boston’s pitching plans should the Red Sox advance beyond the Wild Card round.

After throwing a scoreless inning Thursday against Cleveland, Sandoval kept Chicago off the board from the final out of the fourth through the eighth. But manager Chad Tracy sent him back out for the ninth with 75 pitches, and the Cubs finally broke through.

Miguel Amaya and Tyrone Taylor singled before Bregman ripped an RBI double to make it 4-2. Gabriel Arias followed with a sacrifice fly, ending Sandoval’s afternoon.

Sandoval was charged with three runs over 4 2/3 innings and finished with 98 pitches, making it highly unlikely he would be available for the Wild Card roster. His two relief appearances, however, gave Boston something to consider should it advance to the ALDS.

Wilyer Abreu provided one final defensive highlight in the ninth. After Jovani Morán allowed an RBI double to Michael Conforto, Abreu threw Conforto out at home on Pedro Ramirez’s single to end the inning.

Abreu entered Sunday leading all major league defenders with 27 defensive runs saved and is in position to capture his third consecutive Gold Glove.

Adley Rutschman provided Boston’s biggest offensive highlight with a home run, continuing an encouraging finish to an otherwise disappointing first stretch with the Red Sox. Rutschman went 10-for-30 (.333) with four doubles and a homer over his final eight games.

The loss put the finishing touches on one of the strangest regular seasons in recent Red Sox history.

Boston was 32-46 entering June 25 and just 12-25 at Fenway Park. From that point forward, the Red Sox went 55-29 (.655), including a franchise-record-tying 15-game winning streak from July 3-22. Their 21-4 July produced the highest winning percentage (.840) for a calendar month in franchise history.

With a nor’easter hitting New England, Major League Baseball relocated the finale from Fenway Park to St. Petersburg, leaving the Red Sox as the designated home team at Tropicana Field. 

Sunday marked the Red Sox' first home game away from Fenway Park since the 2019 London Series against the Yankees at London Stadium in June 2019. Boston officially finished 41-40 in home games.

The finale wasn’t entirely meaningless, either. Chicago’s victory secured home-field advantage over Boston should the two clubs somehow meet in the World Series, a matchup that might seem far-fetched now, although perhaps no more far-fetched than the Red Sox reaching October appeared three months ago.

The Red Sox will open their best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Yankees at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Bronx. 

“Our guys are going to be ready,” Tracy said, “I know that.”

Boston is expected to announce its rotation Monday, while the Yankees will counter with Cam Schlittler in Game 1.