With the Iowa horizon behind them, stretching beyond where eye sight can reach, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox emerged from rows of corn and stepped onto a field built for their arrival.
Based on the beloved film, Field of Dreams, the two MLB clubs met on a new field in Dyersville, near the original used in the movie’s filming — a backdrop steeped in all the nostalgia the film itself evoked.
From the moment players weaved their way through the cornfield, to Kevin Costner’s moving pre-game speech and more, here are the best sights and sounds from Thursday night’s Field of Dreams game.
They built it, and they came
First to weave their way through the cornfield was Kevin Costner, who starred in the film as Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who heard a voice beckoning through the swaying rows of corn say: “If you build it, he will come.” Kinsella, convinced that by building a diamond in his crops he will summon the spirit of legendary ballplayer Shoeless Joe Jackson, sets out to do so with the support of his wife, Annie (Amy Madigan) and daughter Karin (Gaby Hoffman), despite the financial hardship it places upon the family.
Players joined Costner on the diamond soon after, welcomed by a rousing cinematic score and the 8,000 fans in attendance.
"They built it, and they certainly did come. This is our Field of Dreams."
Kevin Costner with an awesome intro to the Field of Dreams game today
: #MLBatFieldofDreams live on FOX pic.twitter.com/sXX36zmxSN
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 12, 2021
Straight out of a movie. #MLBatFieldofDreams pic.twitter.com/X0Pc5dOuoe
— MLB (@MLB) August 12, 2021
"On the other side of that corn we filmed a movie that stood the test of time. Tonight, thanks to that enduring impact that that little movie had, it's allowed us to come here again."
Kevin Costner with a fantastic speech before today's game
: #MLBatFieldofDreams pic.twitter.com/JdbHX8QJPn
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 12, 2021
Out of the park, into the cornfield
Shoeless Joe Jackson didn’t arrive in 2021’s Field of Dreams, but the star power in play meant fans didn’t have to wait long to see history.
In the bottom of the first, Jose Abreu launched his 23rd home run of the season out into the cornfields, marking the first-ever MLB homer hit in Iowa.
And then the sun left
As the game marched on into the bottom of the fifth, the sun started to slip beyond that endless Iowa horizon.
No skyscraper lights. No car horns. Just purple lines swirling into an orange sky, turning the field into something befitting a dream.
The Hollywood ending
Saving their best for just before the credits rolled, the Yankees delivered a four-run ninth inning to take an 8-7 lead.
Three outs away from their dreams devolving into a nightmare, Tim Anderson stepped up to the plate for the White Sox — and did what stars do best. He shone, hitting a walk-off home run to re-write the script on the game’s ending.
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