Cubs 6, Red Sox 2: Bregman Homers Twice in His Second Game Back

A text that said he found it, then two balls in the seats

September 27, 2026 - St. Petersburg - Alex Bregman told Craig Counsell he wanted to play. The third baseman was a week removed from multiple fractures in his left cheek, a foul ball that should have kept him in a dark room. He sent a text before first pitch that just said "LFG." Then he homered in his first two at-bats at Tropicana Field, went 4-for-4, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2.

Dome. 72 degrees. No wind. First pitch 3:05 p.m. Attendance 20,411. The game lasted 2 hours, 43 minutes. This was the makeup of Saturday's Fenway date, moved after a Nor'easter had already wrecked Friday's offense in Boston. Neutral site. No playoff implications on the scoreboard. Bregman still asked into the lineup.

"Alex really wants to play," Counsell said before the game, per MLB.com.

Two homers off Houck, then a three-run ninth

Tyrone Taylor was on in the first when Bregman hit his 27th to left-center. 2-0. Adley Rutschman answered with his 13th to left. 2-1. Nick Sogard scored in the second on Andruw Monasterio's forceout. 2-2. Bregman hit his 28th to left in the third. 3-2. That was the lead Chicago took into the ninth.

Tanner Houck (the loss, 0-1) started and lasted three innings: four hits, three earned, no walks, one strikeout, two homers, 50 pitches. Both of Bregman's shots came off him. Patrick Sandoval threw 4 2/3 after that: seven hits, three earned, one walk, five strikeouts. Jovani Morán and Wyatt Olds filled the cracks.

Braxton Garrett (the win, 1-1) threw five innings: four hits, one earned, three walks, two strikeouts. Shota Imanaga threw the sixth, three strikeouts, one run. Jacob Webb threw a clean seventh. Colin Rea (the save, 2) threw two scoreless, one strikeout, no hits.

The ninth was the extra. Miguel Amaya scored on Bregman's double to center. Taylor scored on Gabriel Arias's sacrifice fly. Michael Conforto doubled Bregman home. 6-2. Bregman finished 4-for-4 with two homers, a double, a walk, three runs, and four RBI. Taylor went 2-for-4. Amaya went 2-for-4 with a double. Conforto went 2-for-5 with a double. Pedro Ramírez had two hits. Chicago had 13 hits. Boston had five.

A posture fix, a Wild Card, and a DH question

Bregman had gone 0-for-4 in Friday's Fenway opener, his first game back. Saturday night at the hotel, he went over video with Ben Martin, an assistant director of Major League development. They found him looking uphill and leaning back. Sunday he got into an attacking posture.

"I knew what it meant. I didn't know what he was referring to. I thought he was referring to a football game or something like that," Counsell said of the text, per MLB.com. "But he was like, 'I found it and I'm ready. I feel good.' And yeah, he did."

"I was kind of looking uphill and kind of leaning back," Bregman said, per MLB.com. "So I kind of got a little bit more into it, into a little bit more of an attacking posture today. It felt better."

Chicago finished 89-73 and opens the National League Wild Card on the road at San Diego. Counsell has used Bregman at designated hitter since the return. Third base is still a daily question. "I'm not surprised that he's performing when he's back on the field," Counsell said, per MLB.com. "I'm surprised that he's back on the field. Being back on the field is what I think we should all appreciate and admire."

Boston finished 87-75. Rutschman's homer was the loudest thing the Red Sox did. The rest was five hits in a dome that was never supposed to host this series. The Cubs got the at-bats they wanted. Bregman got the ones he asked for.

AthX Engine after the baseball

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) put Chicago at 13 team fantasy points, fifth on Sunday. Bregman had 19 hitting FP, first among bats on the slate. Rea had 12 pitching FP. Garrett had 10.

Fantasy points measure the night under platform scoring rules. Share prices also move with traders through dynamic pricing. They are related. They are not the same number.

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*Sources: MLB.com schedule; MLB Gameday wrap; ESPN scoreboard; ESPN box score; AthX Engine daily scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*