Getty Cars parked at the baseball field created for the motion picture 'Field of Dreams' on August 25, 1991 in Dyersville, Iowa. Rita and Al Ameskamp who, with Don and Becky Lansing, co-own the site have turned the cornfields and baseball diamond into a summertime tourist attraction, including "ghost player" reenactments.
The New York Yankees will play the Chicago White Sox at the site where the movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed in a 2020 regular-season game. It will take place in Dyersville, a small town in Iowa, on Thursday Aug. 13, 2020. According to My San Antonio, this is the first-ever major-league contest to be played in the state of Iowa.
Later this month, MLB will begin construction on a temporary 8,000-seat ballpark at the Dyersville site for the pro game. The plan is for a pathway through a cornfield to take fans to the ballpark, which will overlook the actual movie location, the league said. The right field wall will include windows to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark.
The matchup will be considered a White Sox home game with Fox’s coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. CT. The following day will be an off-day, with the two teams resuming their three-game series back in Chicago on Saturday.
“‘Field of Dreams’ is an iconic, generational baseball story built upon a deep love of the game that transcends even the most impossible of circumstances,” Jerry Reinsdorf, chairman of the Chicago White Sox, said in a statement. “The filmmakers tell a beautiful story that resonates to this day. It is an incredible honor for the White Sox franchise to be the home team against the Yankees in a special setting that will capture everyone’s imagination just like the movie does. It seems very fitting that 30 years after the film’s debut, MLB will build a ballfield in an Iowa cornfield where we will come to play a game so that baseball fans can create their own memories to be cherished for decades.”
“The Yankees organization is proud to participate in such a unique celebration of baseball,” Hal Steinbrenner, managing general partner of the New York Yankees, added. “‘Field of Dream’s captures the pure essence of baseball, and it continues to bring generations of fans — and families — together to embrace its timeless roots. It’s a distinct honor for us to showcase our great game in such an iconic and intimate setting while promoting the movie’s legacy. I fully expect that this experience will exemplify why baseball remains a cherished American pastime.”
The 1989 film stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Burt Lancaster. It follows Costner’s character, a corn farmer in Iowa, and his strained relationship with his late father. He is compelled by a mysterious voice to build a baseball field on his land, which leads to the ghosts of the 1919 White Sox to appear and start playing.
According to the Field of Dreams Tourism site, the physical address for the site is 28995 Lansing Road, Dyersville, Iowa 52040. Tours are free to visit the actual baseball field, as long as reservations are made 24 hours in advance.
Despite this being the first MLB game played in Iowa, professional baseball is a staple of the state. The Iowa Cubs are a minor-league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs based in Des Moines, while several teams played in Dubuque until 1976.