The Boston Red Sox are in a race against the clock to make their Friday night game against the New York Mets, as the team was delayed in Chicago for hours after concluding a series with the Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox were scheduled to depart Chicago on Thursday evening after their afternoon game but encountered a series of issues with their charter flight, keeping them in the city through Friday afternoon.
As of 2:22 p.m. ET on Friday, the team remained in Chicago awaiting takeoff, according to Red Sox beat writer Tim Healey. A later report from ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers indicated the plane had departed and was en route to New York City, with an estimated landing time of 4:50 p.m. ET. The game against the Mets is still scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. first pitch, potentially forcing players to go directly from LaGuardia Airport to Citi Field without their usual pre-game routines.
This is not the first travel complication for the Red Sox this season. In late June, the team experienced a significant delay departing Denver after a series with the Colorado Rockies, not landing until the early morning hours before a scheduled series against the New York Yankees. Despite that disruption, Boston went on to win that evening's game and ultimately swept the four-game series. Since the Denver delay, the Red Sox have won 11 of their last 13 games and are currently two-and-a-half games out of the final American League Wild Card spot.