ST PETERSBURG, Fla. — Baseball is being played at Tropicana Field on Sunday — just not by the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are playing their regular season finale at Tropicana Field after weather forced the game to move from Boston to Tampa. The Rays were in Philadelphia playing the Phillies.
The relocation carries a layer of irony: last year, Tropicana Field was itself unusable because of weather. On Sunday, the stadium served as Major League Baseball's saving grace.
Among those in attendance were 10-year-old David Wilson and his father, Brian — lifelong Cubs fans who had not expected to spend their Sunday in St. Petersburg.
David was born in 2016, the year the Cubs ended what is known as the Curse of the Billy Goat — a 108-year World Series drought. Brian decided his son was the Cubs' good luck charm.
"It's not like a crazy fanatic type of thing, but it's just learning life lessons through baseball and sport in general. Any sport he wants to do, he's gonna have 100 percent of my support," said Brian Wilson, David's dad.
With his mother's approval, David's full name is David Wrigley Wilson — named after Wrigley Field, the Cubs' historic home in Chicago.
"He made me with the name Wrigley, so I'm like I have to stick with it," said 10-year-old David Wilson.
David said his father makes him watch nearly every game.
"Every game, yes, even on school nights."
The unexpected trip to St. Pete turned into a memorable family outing for the Wilsons and many others.
The MLB playoffs begin this week. The Rays are the No. 1 seed in the American League, meaning they have a first-round bye and will not play in the wild card round. Game 1 of the American League Division Series is scheduled for next Saturday at Tropicana Field. The Rays' opponent and game time have not yet been announced.
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