Red Sox make long-awaited return to Wrigley

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne's Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

When the Red Sox start a three-game series at Wrigley Field on Friday, it will mark the first time they’ve played the Cubs on the road since 2012.

Wrigley is a treasure, just like Fenway Park. I can’t help but think of my first trip to Wrigley back in April of 1986. I was in the eighth grade and was in Chicago for school vacation week with a friend. It was a Sunday afternoon and the Bulls happened to be at Boston Garden that day playing the Celtics in a game you might have heard about. Yes, that was the day Michael Jordan scored 63 points in Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoff series. And the Celtics won the game. I must admit, I spent a good portion of the baseball game in the bowels of Wrigley watching the captivating basketball game on a television near the concession stands.

And the baseball game? I have a “Wrigley” story about this. The game was suspended in the top of the 14th inning due to darkness with the Cubs and Pirates locked in an 8-8 tie. I did not make it back to Chicago for the resumption on Aug. 11. By the way, the Pirates won, 10-8, in 17 innings. I remember that Dennis Eckersley, one of my favorites when he pitched for the Red Sox, started for the Cubs and gave up six runs in six innings. Terry Francona also went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter.

I look forward to going back to Wrigley this weekend for the first time since I saw Billy Joel perform there in 2015. And thanks to those lights that were installed in 1988, I shouldn’t have to worry about any suspended games this time around. This will be the third time I’ve covered a series at Wrigley.