Chisox, Yanks awed at Field of Dreams, MLB promises repeat

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — As the bus carried the New York Yankees through the cornfields blanketing this serene, rolling farmland of northeast Iowa, Aaron Judge noticed a difference from the usual arrival in the next city.

The ride to the Field of Dreams site to play the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night had everyone's attention, like a bunch of kids who couldn't believe what they were getting to do.

“It was the first time people had their headphones out, and they were just glued to the windows, checking out the scenery,” said Judge, the three-time All-Star right fielder.

“We have a lot of guys from different countries who really haven't seen the country like this, or guys from big cities who really haven't seen open fields and stuff like this, so it was pretty cool driving in and seeing everybody in town kind of standing on the side of the roads with signs and cheering us on," he said.

The made-for-TV event, delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had the billing as the first Major League Baseball game in this state that's usually focused on college and community sports, spotlighted by presidential campaigns and fueled by the hog and grain industry.

It won't be a one-time visit, either. Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that the Field of Dreams game will return in August 2022, with the teams to be determined.

The made-from-scratch stadium — built to hold about 8,000 fans watch the White Sox and Yankees play in one of the most anticipated mid-August games in history — was placed next to the actual diamond where the 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner was shot outside the town of Dyersville, population 4,000.

There are rows upon rows of corn between the two outfields. Yes, it's the same spot where Shoeless Joe Jackson and his pals appeared — and disappeared —...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Chisox-Yanks-awed-at-Field-of-Dreams-MLB-16383762.php