For the first time in Major League Baseball history, an official game was scheduled to be played in the state of Iowa on the Field of Dreams. Despite its postponement in 2020, the first-ever Field of Dreams game, which took place on Aug. 12, 2021, was full of memories as well as surprises.

Two of the American League’s most successful teams, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, met in Dyersville, Iowa to perform in front of nearly 8,000 fans. With a final score of nine to eight in favor of the White Sox, this contest captured a great deal of attention across the league.

The MLB created a replica of a baseball field based on the movie “The Field of Dreams”, which was released in 1989 and tells the story of Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), a troubled farmer with a damaged relationship with his dead father, John Kinsella. The movie begins with the construction of a baseball diamond on a cornfield after Kinsella hears a voice saying “If you build it, he will come.”

After facing financial problems involving the farm, Kinsella is determined to decipher the meaning of the mysterious voice. At the end of the film, Kinsella figures out that the message was talking about his father, who reappears as a ghost on the Field of Dreams. There, the final scene is shot in which both the father and son play a game of catch.

Thirty-two years after the film was released, the MLB intends on teaching a new generation of baseball lovers about this historical movie site and its significance to baseball. Additionally, the organization wants to bring baseball closer than ever to its fans with efforts such as this one, to fulfill the MLB’s goal of attracting larger audiences.

“I love the game of baseball. I’ve seen it for basically my whole life. I think the MLB’s efforts to bring back fans is a needed one because we want baseball to stay and we want it to grow. Honestly, the MLB should bring back more events like this one that will make baseball more exciting and attractive for the younger generations,” senior Daniel Michel said.

The MLB’s Field of Dreams game started off with none other than Kevin Costner leading both teams out of the cornfield and onto the diamond. As they were being introduced, thousands of fans erupted into cheering at the calling of each team’s name. Both teams’ uniforms were throwbacks to the early 1900s, inspired by the earlier White Sox and Yankees teams.

From the opening pitch to the game-ending walk-off, the Field of Dreams game was action-packed. It was a slugging fest with a total of eight home runs for the night. Stars like Jose Abreu, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge each got their share of homers into the cornfield. The event came to a close with White Sox shortstop, Tim Anderson, hitting a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and a fireworks display.

“I’m a Yankees fan so my favorite part had to be the top of the ninth inning to see Aaron Judge hit a home run and make a comeback for the Yankees. Although his efforts got crushed afterward, it was still a great game with a lot of excitement,” freshman Joshua Gold said.

At the end of the day, the MLB’s Field of Dreams drew an estimated 5.9 million viewers. According to FOX Sports, this event was the most viewed MLB regular-season game on the broadcasting network since 2005. In that season, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox faced off on Oct. 1, in a game that captured nearly 5.9 million spectators as well.

The MLB has officially announced the return of the Field of Dreams in 2022. The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will be playing at the Field of Dreams sequel coming in 2022. The MLB’s Field of Dreams has touched the hearts of many baseball fans across the nation and hopefully will be a turning point for the sport itself.

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