Special Major League Baseball event
MLB at Field of Dreams
is a recurring
Major League Baseball
(MLB) regular-season game played in a ballpark adjacent to
Field of Dreams
in
Dyersville, Iowa
, a site popularized by the 1989 baseball film
Field of Dreams
. The first edition of the game was played on August 12, 2021, with the
Chicago White Sox
defeating the
New York Yankees
, 9?8. The second edition of the game was played August 11, 2022, with the
Chicago Cubs
defeating the
Cincinnati Reds
, 4?2. Both games were held on the second Thursday of August.
Future games are on hold while a new youth baseball and softball complex is under construction at the Field of Dreams site.
Background
[
edit
]
Location of the ballpark in Iowa
The first edition of the game was planned for August 13, 2020, with the
Chicago White Sox
facing the
New York Yankees
.
[1]
However, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
, MLB implemented a shortened 2020 season that limited games played to each team's division and the opposite league's geographically equal division to reduce travel. Hence, on July 1, MLB announced that the
St. Louis Cardinals
would replace the Yankees for the game.
[2]
After several St. Louis players and coaches tested positive for COVID-19 in late July, MLB postponed several Cardinals games, eventually leading the league to announce on August 3 that the MLB at Field of Dreams game would be postponed to the 2021 season.
[3]
In November 2020, MLB announced the 2021 game date and that the contest would feature the originally planned participants, the White Sox and Yankees.
[4]
Ballpark
[
edit
]
The game is hosted in
Dyersville, Iowa
, near the filming location of the
titular 1989 baseball movie
. The field constructed for the movie, which has been operated as a tourist destination since 1989, could not be brought to MLB game standards without permanently altering major features of the property and destroying its movie authenticity, so it was decided to build a separate playing facility at a distance of approximately 500 ft (150 m) in the cornfields. The new field is in the property of the Ameskamp family, who used to own the left and center field of the 1988 Field of Dreams (the rest was owned by the Lansing family) before selling it to the Lansing family in 2007.
The design of the ballpark pays homage to the White Sox' home from 1910 to 1990,
Comiskey Park
, including the shape of the outfield and the
bullpens
beyond the center field fence. Windows were included in the design of the right field wall to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark and to provide views of the movie set.
[5]
[1]
Following postponement of the originally scheduled game, the field remained
fallow
during the 2020 season.
[6]
During the 2021 season, many of the temporary structures that were intended for MLB at Field of Dreams were moved to
Sahlen Field
in
Buffalo, New York
, to allow that
Triple-A
ballpark to accommodate the
Toronto Blue Jays
.
[7]
[8]
In late June 2021, a news report by
KTIV
of
Sioux City, Iowa
, showed that the baseball field and lights were in place for MLB at Field of Dreams, but seating had not yet been erected.
[9]
Games
[
edit
]
2021 game
[
edit
]
On August 9, it was revealed that
Iowa
native
Pat Hoberg
would be the home plate umpire for the game.
[12]
The White Sox and Yankees both wore throwback uniforms resembling those worn during the
1919 Major League Baseball season
.
[13]
[14]
Prior to the game, a pregame ceremony was conducted, during which
Kevin Costner
led players from both teams onto the field from the corn, in tribute to an iconic scene which occurs in the film while
Maddie Poppe
sang the national anthem.
[15]
Bench coach
Miguel Cairo
managed the White Sox as manager
Tony La Russa
was unavailable due to a family funeral.
[16]
This was the first MLB game played in the state of Iowa.
[1]
The game was called by
Joe Buck
(play by play),
John Smoltz
(analyst),
Ken Rosenthal
(field reporter), and
Tom Verducci
(field reporter) on
Fox
.
Recap
[
edit
]
The early game was defined by strikeouts, with four from
Lance Lynn
and three from
Andrew Heaney
through the first two innings. The first scoring was a home run over the left field fence by
Jose Abreu
in the bottom of the first inning, the first ever major league home run hit in the state of Iowa.
[17]
From the third inning on, the game was described as a slugfest with home runs by
Aaron Judge
in the top of the third,
Eloy Jimenez
in the bottom of the third,
Seby Zavala
in the bottom of the fourth, and
Brett Gardner
in the top of the sixth.
[18]
[19]
In the game, there was eight total home runs hit into the cornfield. Heading into the ninth inning, the White Sox led 7?4. The Yankees then rallied ahead with a pair of two-out, two-run home runs by Aaron Judge, his second of the night, and
Giancarlo Stanton
, both off of
Liam Hendriks
, to put them ahead of the White Sox by one run. After a ground out by pinch hitter
Danny Mendick
and a walk to
Seby Zavala
, the game ended with a
walk-off
two-run homer hit by
Tim Anderson
off of
Zack Britton
, giving the White Sox the 9?8 win. The homer was the 15th walk-off home run against the Yankees in White Sox history; the first was hit by
Shoeless Joe Jackson
on July 20, 1919,
[20]
a fictional version of whom features heavily in the
Field of Dreams
film.
[21]
Line score
[
edit
]
Reception
[
edit
]
Fans and media personalities alike responded positively to the presentation of the game, which drew the highest ratings for a regular-season telecast on
Fox
at 5.9 million viewers since a
Yankees?Red Sox contest
on October 1, 2005.
[22]
[23]
Len Kasper
, who called the game on radio for the White Sox, commented that "I'm not really sure MLB could have done an event better than the Field of Dreams Game. Yes, the game was bonkers and the finish was
Oscar
worthy, but the entire thing?the scenery, the park, the weather, the people involved, the vibe?it was just perfect. Unforgettable experience."
[24]
2022 game
[
edit
]
Shortly before the 2021 game,
Commissioner of Baseball
Rob Manfred
confirmed that there would be another game at the Field of Dreams during 2022, likely during August, but did not identify which teams would be playing.
[25]
MLB later announced that the
Cincinnati Reds
would play the
Chicago Cubs
at the site on August 11, 2022, with Cincinnati as the designated home team in the game.
[26]
Retro-style uniforms for the teams were revealed on August 8, with the Reds' uniforms matching what the team wore in the
1919 World Series
.
[27]
Pre-game ceremonies began with
Ken Griffey Sr.
and
Ken Griffey Jr.
playing catch, followed by the Cubs and Reds walking in from the cornfield beyond centerfield along with multiple members of the
National Baseball Hall of Fame
?
Johnny Bench
,
Andre Dawson
,
Ferguson Jenkins
,
Barry Larkin
,
Ryne Sandberg
, and
Billy Williams
?and a
ceremonial first pitch
from Jenkins to Bench.
[28]
The national anthem was sung by country singer
Jessie James Decker
.
John Smoltz
(analyst),
Ken Rosenthal
(field reporter), and
Tom Verducci
(field reporter) return to call the game with
Joe Davis
(play by play) calling now as the lead announcer for
Fox
.
Recap
[
edit
]
Drew Smyly
recorded the pitching victory for the Cubs, lasting five innings with nine strikeouts and four hits allowed. The Reds only mustered two runs, in the bottom of the seventh inning, all while having two runners on base in three separate innings and with a total of eight runners
left on base
.
[29]
Cincinnati second baseman
Jonathan India
left the contest after the third inning, due to a contusion on his left leg from being
hit by a pitch
in the first inning; his injury later required an emergency helicopter flight to an
Iowa City
hospital.
[30]
Chicago catcher
Willson Contreras
rolled his ankle rounding second base in the third inning, but remained in the game.
[31]
Line score
[
edit
]
MiLB at Field of Dreams
[
edit
]
On April 21, 2022,
Minor League Baseball
(MiLB) announced the inaugural MiLB at Field of Dreams game, a
High-A
contest in Dyersville between teams of the
Midwest League
.
[32]
On August 9, the
Quad Cities River Bandits
hosted and defeated the
Cedar Rapids Kernels
, 7?2.
[33]
The teams used historical franchise names for the contest,
Davenport Blue Sox
and
Cedar Rapids Bunnies
, respectively.
[32]
Future
[
edit
]
MLB did not host a game at the ballpark in 2023 due to construction around the site.
[34]
Future plans include converting the site into a youth baseball and softball complex that one day would also have a hotel.
[35]
Iowa Governor
Kim Reynolds
confirmed that there will be another round of public funding to build a permanent stadium at the site.
[36]
Former MLB player
Frank Thomas
, who is part of the group that owns the property, did not rule out the possibility of future MLB games at the site after 2023.
[37]
In 2024, there will be a
similar game
between the
San Francisco Giants
and
St. Louis Cardinals
held at
Rickwood Field
in Alabama.
[38]
Broadcasting
[
edit
]
Since its inception, the game has been broadcast by
Fox
as part of their
Thursday Night Baseball
telecasts.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Castrovince, Anthony (August 8, 2019).
"Yanks, White Sox to play at 'Field of Dreams'
"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
February 22,
2020
.
- ^
Van Schouwen, Daryl (July 1, 2020).
"Cardinals will be White Sox' opponent in Field of Dreams game"
.
Chicago Sun-Times
. Retrieved
July 1,
2020
.
- ^
"MLB postpones Cards-White Sox Field of Dreams game to 2021"
.
FoxSports.com
. August 3, 2020
. Retrieved
August 3,
2020
.
- ^
Harrigan, Thomas (November 23, 2020).
"Field of Dreams game set for Aug. 12, 2021"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
November 24,
2020
.
- ^
Castrovince, Anthony (August 8, 2019).
"Field of Dreams FAQ: Tickets and other details"
.
MLB.com
.
MLB Advanced Media
. Retrieved
February 22,
2020
.
- ^
Reichard, Kevin (August 10, 2020).
"With game postponed, Field of Dreams lies fallow"
.
Ballpark Digest
. Retrieved
August 11,
2020
.
- ^
Harrington, Mike (July 24, 2020).
"What has to be done to get Sahlen Field ready for MLB, Blue Jays"
.
The Buffalo News
.
- ^
Zwelling, Arden (August 10, 2020).
"How Blue Jays transformed Sahlen Field into their temporary home"
.
sportsnet.ca
. Retrieved
November 24,
2020
.
- ^
"Field of Dreams MLB game to feature Beyond The Game in Dyersville"
.
KTIV
. June 28, 2021
. Retrieved
July 10,
2021
.
- ^
"Chicago White Sox 9, New York Yankees 8"
.
Retrosheet
. August 12, 2021.
- ^
"Cubs 4, Reds 2 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday"
.
MLB.com
.
- ^
Birch, Tommy (August 9, 2021).
"Field of Dreams umpire, an Iowa native, might play catch with his dad when he gets there"
.
Des Moines Register
. Retrieved
August 11,
2021
.
- ^
Adler, David (August 11, 2021).
"Field of Dreams unis go back in time"
.
MLB.com
.
MLB Advanced Media
. Retrieved
August 16,
2021
.
- ^
"Field of Dreams Game: Grading the White Sox and Yankees throwback uniforms"
.
sports.yahoo.com
. Retrieved
August 13,
2021
.
- ^
Baer, Jack.
"The intro to MLB's Field of Dreams Game was a masterclass in nostalgia"
.
sports.yahoo.com
. Retrieved
August 13,
2021
.
- ^
Merkin, Scott (August 11, 2021).
"La Russa to miss Field of Dreams Game"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
August 12,
2021
.
- ^
Southard, Dargan.
"Field of Dreams recap: White Sox win on Tim Anderson's thrilling walk-off home run"
.
Des Moines Register
.
- ^
Evans, Kyle (August 13, 2021).
"Yankees rally late, then blow slugfest to White Sox in Field of Dreams game"
.
Fingerlakes1.com
.
- ^
Miller, Randy (August 13, 2021).
"Yankees rally late, then blow slugfest to White Sox in Field of Dreams Game | Rapid reaction"
.
nj.com
. Retrieved
August 13,
2021
.
- ^
"Chicago White Sox 2, New York Yankees 1"
.
Retrosheet
. July 20, 1919.
- ^
Gartland, Dan (August 13, 2021).
"You Will Definitely Believe Who Hit the First Walk-Off Home Run for the White Sox Against the Yankees"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
August 9,
2022
.
- ^
Marner, Aaron.
"
'Like it was painted by God': Iowa and a sunset steal the show during MLB's Field of Dreams game"
.
Des Moines Register
. Retrieved
August 21,
2021
.
- ^
Young, Jabari (August 13, 2021).
"
'Field of Dreams' baseball game was a ratings win for Fox with 5.9 million viewers"
.
CNBC
. Retrieved
August 21,
2021
.
- ^
Rosvoglou, Chris.
"MLB World Reacts To "Field Of Dreams" Game Between White Sox, Yankees"
.
The Spun
. Retrieved
August 21,
2021
.
- ^
Birch, Tommy.
"MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says MLB will play another 'Field of Dreams' game in 2022"
.
Des Moines Register
. Retrieved
August 13,
2021
.
- ^
"Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs to play at Field of Dreams site in 2022"
.
ESPN.com
. August 20, 2021
. Retrieved
August 21,
2021
.
- ^
Schuster, Blake (August 8, 2022).
"See the old-timey Cubs and Reds uniforms they'll wear for the 2022 Field of Dreams game"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
August 9,
2022
.
- ^
Sheldon, Mark (August 11, 2022).
"Griffeys set the tone in Iowa: 'Dad, wanna have a catch?'
"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
August 12,
2022
.
- ^
"Cubs vs. Reds - Box Score - August 11, 2022 - ESPN"
.
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
August 12,
2022
.
- ^
Sheldon, Mark (August 13, 2022).
"India recounts harrowing airlift after Field of Dreams HBP"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
August 13,
2022
.
- ^
"
'Just perfect': Cubs, Reds soak in Iowa scenics"
.
ESPN.com
. August 12, 2022
. Retrieved
August 12,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"River Bandits to host Kernels at 'Field of Dreams'
"
.
milb.com
. Minor League Baseball. April 21, 2022.
- ^
"Kernels at River Bandits"
.
MiLB.com
. August 9, 2022
. Retrieved
August 9,
2022
.
- ^
"
'Just perfect': Cubs, Reds soak in Iowa scenics"
.
ESPN.com
. August 12, 2022
. Retrieved
August 12,
2022
.
- ^
Birch, Tommy (August 10, 2022).
"MLB won't return to Field of Dreams in 2023 due to construction, owner Frank Thomas says"
. Des Moines Register
. Retrieved
August 11,
2022
.
- ^
Sam, Doric (August 11, 2022).
"MLB Won't Host 'Field of Dreams' Game in Iowa During 2023 Regular Season"
.
Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
August 11,
2022
.
- ^
Haring, Bruce (August 10, 2022).
"
'Field Of Dreams' Iowa Complex Won't Have A 2023 MLB Game"
.
Deadline.com
. Retrieved
August 11,
2022
.
- ^
Martin, Angela (June 13, 2023).
"MLB announces Giants-Cardinals to clash in historic game at Rickwood Field"
.
NBC Sports Bay Area
. Retrieved
July 15,
2023
.
- ^
"How Fox will broadcast Field of Dreams game between White Sox, Yankees"
.
Chicago Sun Times
.
- ^
"FOX SPORTS ENERGIZED FOR ITS RETURN TO IOWA AND MLB AT FIELD OF DREAMS"
.
Fox Sports.com
.
42°29′56″N
91°03′26″W
/
42.498889°N 91.0571°W
/
42.498889; -91.0571
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