
A Red Sox-Cubs World Series? We'd have Fenway, Wrigley and so much more
True, interleague play has been around in some form since 1997, which means it's no longer sparkly and exciting in and of itself. But Red Sox-Cubs is different, partly because of each team's ancient and lovely ballpark but also because it's two franchises that endured decades and decades of bad luck, bad hops and bad karma before finally winning championships.
Advertisement
The bonus is that this series won't be limited to a throwdown as to whether Wrigley or Boston's Fenway Park is the better of the two ancient ballyards. For though Fenway-versus-Wrigley is a big part of any Red Sox-Cubs discussion, this time it's the actual talent of the clubs that stands out.
The Cubs are in first place in the National League Central. They've got Pete Crow-Armstrong, the dazzling 23-year-old who's already hit 25 home runs and knocked in 71 runs. And they have journeyman lefty Matthew Boyd, who has chosen 2025 and Chicago's North Side to deliver both a career year and a feel-good story. He's 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 19 starts playing for the team his late grandfather rooted for back in the day.
The Red Sox, written off by many (including me!) just weeks ago, take a 10-game winning streak into the series, which kicks off with a Friday matinee.
The Red Sox didn't merely 'win' those 10 straight games. They screamed them from a mountaintop, is what they did. It began with an 11-2 victory over the Washington Nationals in which shortstop Trevor Story collected four hits and knocked in four runs. There was a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, thanks to Ceddanne Rafaela's two-run, walk-off home run. NESN's Dave O'Brien delivered a home run call that was of such moment-capturing brilliance that Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman felt compelled to mention it when he was interviewed on the pregame show the next day. And later that day was when Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet pitched a three-hit shutout in Boston's 1-0 victory over the Rays.
CEDDANNE RAFAELA HITS IT OUT OF FENWAY 😤
THE @REDSOX ARE WALK-OFF WINNERS! pic.twitter.com/6LEzWZVQ7E
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025
The Red Sox? Dead? Not only are they not dead, it's as though magic wackadoo dust has altered the senses of everyone from casual fans to press box know-it-alls. How else to explain all these people who suddenly are talking about the Red Sox playing in the World Series? As in this year's World Series.
Advertisement
To roll out just one example, let's offer up The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 'They are a team that, frankly, might be in the World Series if they make the right moves here,' said Rosenthal, discussing the trade deadline on the 'Fair Territory' podcast.
But if the very thought of the Red Sox continuing to play graceful baseball and making it to the World Series sounds far-fetched, how about something that's, um, farrer-fetched? How about we get that World Series we've been waiting for since 1918? Yep: How about we get a 2025 World Series between the Red Sox and Cubs?
Admittedly, a Red Sox-Cubs World Series would have had more snap, crackle and pop had the Sox been looking for their first championship since 1918 and the Cubs their first championship since 1908. It looked like we might have had one in 2003, when the Red Sox were playing the New York Yankees in the ALCS and the Cubs were playing the Florida Marlins in the NLCS. MLB commissioner Bud Selig, appearing on Boston all-sports station WEEI during the Sox-Yankees series, was practically salivating over a Red Sox-Cubs World Series.
Alas, the world wasn't ready. That's why Steve Bartman was sent by the baseball gods to derail the Cubs in Game 6 of the NLCS. Those same gods sent cosmic messages to Red Sox manager Grady Little with instructions to leave Pedro Martínez on the mound in Game 7 of the ALCS — even after the Dominican Dandy had surpassed the dreaded 100-pitch threshold. (Which, at that stage in Pedro's career, was when every opposing hitter turned into Ty Cobb.)
Instead of Red Sox-Cubs in the 2003 World Series, it was Yankees-Marlins. The Marlins took out the Yankees in six games. Not that anyone in Boston or Chicago noticed, given all the screaming and finger-pointing that was going on in those towns.
It used to be said the world would come to an end if the Red Sox and Cubs were to play in the World Series. A clever line in its time, it's no longer relevant. The Red Sox eventually won the World Series in 2004 for their first championship since beating the Cubs 86 years earlier. As in … 1918. As for the modern-day Cubs, the 2016 crew won the franchise's first World Series since 1908 with a Game 7, 10-inning, 8-7 victory over Cleveland.
Advertisement
But a Red Sox-Cubs World Series, even without the world-coming-to-an-end warning label, would be must-see TV. The teams do have exciting players. And to get back to the ballparks, it would be impossible not to take notice of a 2025 World Series played at ballparks that were built for people born in the 19th century.
There used to be this unwritten 'no dead guys' rule in baseball, the idea being that MLB should focus on today's stars and stop dredging up players from the past. The anecdotal evidence suggests baseball no longer abides by that unwritten rule. MLB certainly celebrates and promotes its megastars of today — Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, just to pick two players, are gifts from marketing heaven — but legends from yesteryear are being reworked into the discussion. Witness the manner in which players from the old Negro Leagues have been granted posthumous major-league status. In 2022, the documentary 'It Ain't Over,' about the life of the late Yankees legend Yogi Berra, was critically acclaimed. And, wow, how about that tribute to the late Hank Aaron during the All-Star Game?
I tell you all that so I can tell you this: A Red Sox-Cubs World Series would present an opportunity to re-celebrate two late legends who remain the faces of their franchises. That's Ted Williams of the Red Sox and Ernie Banks of the Cubs, of course.
Ted Williams and Ernie Banks at the 500 Home Run hitters reunion in 1996. pic.twitter.com/yOdXzsh2ML
— Baseball's Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) May 16, 2025
If those added storylines are not enough, there's so much more. From Hollywood, it'd be Cubs fans Bill Murray and John Cusack versus Red Sox fans Matt Damon and the Affleck boys, Ben and Casey. Political punditry could give us Sox fans Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor ('Crooked Media') ganging up on Cubs fan David Axelrod (CNN).
We could write about how Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer started his front-office career with the Red Sox, and how Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow started his front-office career with the Cubs.
Theo Epstein, who built World Series-winning rosters for the Red Sox and Cubs, would be worthy of throwing out a first pitch for both teams.
We could go on and on here, but it all comes back to this: The Red Sox and Cubs have exciting players and are playing fine baseball. We'll see that this weekend.
Perhaps we'll see more of it in October.
(Photo of Ceddanne Rafaela: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NBC News
a few seconds ago
- NBC News
Fenway Park concession workers go on strike before Red Sox' weekend games
Concession workers at Boston's Fenway Park and nearby MGM Music Hall have begun a strike, with no last-minute deal reached in their negotiations with Aramark. UNITE HERE Local 26 had set a noon deadline for an agreement in their contract negotiations. Picket lines are due to be up during the Red Sox' game against the reigning MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night. The game will still be on, if storms don't postpone it following an extremely hot day in Boston, but the union is asking fans who go to avoid buying concessions. The strike is planned through Sunday's game. Workers are asking for a higher salary, increased tips for premium workers, scheduling that respects workers' seniority and guardrails on automation. These have been their demands for about the last seven months, which is when their previous contract with the food and beverage company ended. Aramark said Friday it's been bargaining in good faith and disappointed that the union chose to strike. 'We are committed to delivering an outstanding fan experience and have contingency plans in place to ensure fans will not encounter service interruptions,' the company's statement said. A Red Sox statement noted that the team isn't a party to the negotiations between UNITE HERE Local 26 and Aramark, but said the company told them that they'd made a new offer Thursday night, which was rejected. 'Aramark has implemented its contingency staffing plans, and fans can expect a full and uninterrupted ballpark experience this weekend, including access to all food, beverage, and hospitality services throughout Fenway Park. We remain hopeful that the parties will reach a swift and fair resolution,' the Sox statement said.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Beyond The Game: WNBA Mascots Bring Chaos & Comedy To All-Star Weekend
While the main events of the recent All-Star Weekend were the game and skills challenges, all eyes were also on the league's mascots and their hilarious antics. Eleven WNBA teams have mascots, and they were all present for the exciting weekend in Indianapolis. And while many TikTokers captured moments with the mascots, not all of the character fun was seen by fans. The mascot, BUCKET$, sat down with The Blast to share some of the added fun the WNBA mascots have when they are all together. The wildly popular basketball-loving rabbit also shared a little peek at what it's like in the WNBA mascot world. WNBA Mascots Entertained Fans During All-Star Weekend At last weekend's WNBA All-Star Weekend, the mascots were out in full force! Present for the fun: Scorch (Phoenix Mercury), Skye the Lioness (Chicago Sky), Blaze (Connecticut Sun), Lightning (Dallas Wings), Freddy Fever (Indiana Fever), Sparky (LA Sparks), Prowl (Minnesota Lynx), Doppler (Seattle Storm), Pax (Washington Mystics), Ellie the Elephant (NY Liberty), and of course, BUCKET$. From dancing moments to playful pranks to hyping up the crowd during the two-day long event, the mascots stole the spotlight often. 'It's always a fun time. As you would expect, what is it like when you get so many characters, individuals, and actual mascots themselves, what is it like when you get them all in one place together? It's a fun time,' BUCKET$ (who will remain anonymous) told The Blast exclusively. 'We often do our own mascot antics with each other. We're just a bunch of characters, a bunch of friends. We're all friends. We talk with each other constantly, so it's kind of like when you go back to college, or going back to homecoming, so All-Star is our mascot homecoming. It's nothing but antics and charades and just everything you would think or imagine about having a group of mascots all together in one collective area. That's exactly what you get at All-Star.' All-Star Weekend Is The Only Time The Mascots Are All Together As one might imagine, it's not often that fans get to see more than one mascot at any given time. They typically stay at their home arenas, cheering on their team and hyping up the fans. But All-Star Weekend offers a change of pace for them, as they all come together for the WNBA star-filled weekend. Occasionally, multiple mascots may be together for a game, but it's not often. "Throughout the season, a mascot may have a 'birthday' at a game, or a team may do a kids' day game, so a couple of mascots might get invited out," BUCKET$ said. "A lot of us do get up sometimes with each other at some of those mascot birthdays and kid-based games." What Goes On Behind-The-Scenes With All The WNBA Mascots Together? BUCKET$ said that the behind-the-scenes moments with the mascots are fun, and there are no egos in the room. "We're all characters and we play to our characters strengths and personalities. Just the characters have their own personalities, it's almost like an acting role," BUCKET$ shared. "One person's character might be clumsy, might be a klutz for lack of a better word, might have two left feet and they're always kind of very slapstick comedy and always tripping over themselves, and you might have somebody else who is very outgoing, and then you might have another one who's super athletic and you see them doing trampoline dunks or riding a unicycle, doing flips, and all types of stuff, so everyone's kind of just those personalities that their character embodies, because they are characters." But behind the scenes, the mascots are just a "collective group." They chat about "best practices" and like to "talk shop," sharing what works for them in their markets. They also enjoy brainstorming new ideas with each other. "We like to bounce creative ideas off each other," BUCKET$ told The Blast. "As you imagine, it's a very creative group, so the think tank and the brainstorms and kind of just being able to ideate and pitch those ideas off with each other, and say, 'Hey, what do you think about this?' It definitely allows us to get the wheels turning." Let's Have Some Fun With BUCKET$! The Blast thought it could be fun to play a little game with BUCKET$ as a way to get a little more insight into the mascots' personalities. We asked BUCKET$ to imagine that all the WNBA mascots got together to do a "Big Brother" type reality show. And then we asked which mascot came to mind in certain scenarios. The Blast: "Which mascot would be labeled the troublemaker?" (After asking this question, BUCKET$ wanted to know if he could pick more than just one.) BUCKET$: "I would say the troublemakers would be, in no particular order, BUCKET$, Prowl, Scorch, Ellie, and Freddie." TB: "Who would be the flirt?" B: "That would might be the same group. The troublemakers might also be the same ones that are labeled as the flirts. Again, I would probably say, BUCKET$, Scorch, Freddie, Prowl, Ellie, those are the for sure flirts." TB: "If BUCKET$ had to choose one mascot to go on a date with, who would it be?" B: (Laughing) "That's hilarious! I don't know. I'd be curious to hear what people say. I don't watch 'Love Island' or any of those shows but I'd be curious to see what the people say. Would they go BUCKET$ and Ellie? Would they go BUCKET$ and Skye? That's tough for me to say, so I'd be curious to see what the people would say. Sometimes you see some things online from fans. I've seen things about BUCKET$ and Ellie." TB: "If one of the mascots had to be sent home for bad behavior, who would it be?" B: "Oh, it would definitely be out of the troublemakers group. In mascot terms, what do we consider to be bad? Because we sometimes can do things that the average human cannot do. It comes with the territory of being a mascot. So technically any of us on any given night. My answer would be anyone on any given night, but it might have to Prowl or Scorch. I really think this is splitting hairs, or fur." TB: "Who would be the brains of the operation?" B: "I really feel like that could be a coin flip and I would definitely say I'll put BUCKET$ in that conversation. This one is making me think a little bit. BUCKET$, and kind of makes me go back to that troublemaker group. The troublemakers and the flirts are definitely some brains there in that group. I would put Ellie in that conversation, Scorch, Freddie, Prowl, we all kind of just think in our own ways. There's so much talent in that room and so many great ideas that come back from different perspectives. So I feel that the brains of the group could be largely anyone." TB: "This would be a wild reality show." B: "I would be there for it. We just need a lot of closed captioning and some voiceovers, or a lot of thought bubbles or whiteboards so we can write down our thoughts and feelings." More About The Las Vegas Aces Mascot BUCKET$! According to the Aces' website, BUCKET$ is, "A black-tailed jackrabbit native of the Mojave Desert with origins in Utah and Texas." BUCKET$ "hopped his way from the desert to Las Vegas in the Spring of 2018." The story continues, "After a long trek in the desert heat, the hare was found resting behind Michelob ULTRA Arena where he was pulled out of a hat by his foot by the Aces who were in search of a new home themselves. The basketball team adopted the rabbit and nicknamed him 'BUCKET$.'" The rabbit has since become a "symbol of good luck for the Aces." In 2022, he earned his third All-Star selection as a mascot and was the WNBA's Mascot of the Year. You can see BUCKET$, and possibly interact with the energetic and friendly bunny, at home Aces games. Have your phone ready for when he hops on over to your section because you won't want to miss a photo opp with him.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The ultimate Matthew Stafford backup? Why the Rams love Jimmy Garoppolo
No Matthew Stafford, no problem. At least for now. With the Rams' star quarterback sidelined because of what coach Sean McVay has described as back soreness, 12th-year pro Jimmy Garoppolo is running the offense as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans. 'I found out pretty suddenly,' Garoppolo said of his elevation to the first-team offense on the eve of training camp. 'But that's the life of a backup quarterback.' Read more: $100-million payday ahead? Puka Nacua knows a strong 2025 for Rams could reap big rewards Stafford, entering his 17th season, is expected to join workouts next week, according to McVay. If Stafford's back problem persists, that could be trouble for a team that is expected to be a Super Bowl contender. In the meantime, they are relying on Garoppolo, who is something of a luxury for McVay and the Rams. Garoppolo, 33, is 43-21 as an NFL starter in stints with the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders. He led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season and has played in seven postseason games. 'Jimmy Garoppolo is a starting quarterback,' McVay said. 'Obviously, we feel so fortunate to have somebody like Matthew leading the way, but Jimmy's done a great job.' Garoppolo signed with the Rams before last season after an injury-plagued 2023 season with the Raiders. The belief by many was that it would be a one-year residency with the Rams before Garoppolo sought a starting opportunity elsewhere. During the offseason, the Rams explored possibly trading Stafford before reaching agreement on an adjusted contract. Garoppolo, who had been regarded as a bridge possibility if the Rams moved on from Stafford, signed another one-year deal in March worth just over $3 million, according to 'Sean plays a big role,' Garoppolo said when asked why he decided to remain with the Rams. 'Honestly, it's just the people here. ... Having been around 12 years, you see both sides of it — and the other side can get old real quick. ... You've got to be around good people.' Garoppolo played in only one game last season. He completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, in a 30-25 defeat by the Seattle Seahawks in the regular-season finale. Now he is preparing for his 12th season. Read more: Rams open training camp: Analyzing their biggest concerns Can he envision playing 17 seasons, ala Stafford? 'I'm taking it year by year,' he said. 'I would say, how does the body feel? How does the mentality feel? 'I never want to half-ass anything in my life. So I've loved this game of football and I've always given it everything I have. So when the day comes, I think I'll know. 'But we ain't there yet.' Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.