Most of us who watched “Field of Dreams” growing up likely wondered what an actual MLB game in Dyersville, Iowa, would look like. Most importantly, we asked ourselves who would be the first player to homer into the cornfields.
Had such a game occurred in the mid 2000s, the answer likely would have been a light-hitting utility infielder. Who needs an Albert Pujols moonshot that would destroy a barn when you could watch Enrique Wilson or Kazuo Matsui circle the bases?
Whether it’s Kyle Schwarber or Austin Martin, Thursday’s showdown between the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins presents another opportunity for a cornfield homer. This year’s MLB at Field of Dreams event is the first since 2022 and has rightfully drawn considerable buzz.
The story of how the same ballpark from “Field of Dreams” became capable of hosting MLB games is fascinating, and it’s far deeper than simply building it so that people would come.
How the Field of Dreams ballpark became an MLB stadium
Initially, the Field of Dreams baseball field was built for the movie itself, but it surprisingly went mostly unused following production. Although there were celebrity games in the early 1990s, it’s odd to think that Iowa never considered preparing the ballpark for state baseball and softball championship games.
Go the Distance Baseball bought the field in October 2011 and later announced plans to the renovate the stadium. However, rising costs and legal issues repeatedly halted the project. In hindsight, it’s especially unfortunate because of how prominent social media and smartphones were by the early 2010s. A high school or college game at the Field of Dreams ballpark could have easily gone viral.
By 2020, a temporary facility capable of hosting an MLB regular-season game was created in the cornfields. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the first MLB at Field of Dreams event to August 2021, when the Chicago White Sox defeated the New York Yankees in a 9-8 thriller. Interestingly, the league intended to play the Field of Dreams game amid the pandemic, albeit with the Cardinals replacing the Yankees for travel reasons. A rash of positive COVID tests on the Cardinals’ side convinced the league to simply delay the event by one year.
Next season will mark the first time that the Field of Dreams site regularly hosts games. The Dyersville Dreamers, a college summer baseball team, announced the ballpark will be its home stadium.
When Major League Baseball unveiled its 2027 schedule last month, it did not announce whether there will be a Field of Dreams game next year. However, there is a mid-August series between the Dodgers and Phillies that could be especially appealing.
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