DYERSVILLE, Iowa — The Field of Dreams movie? It depends on who you talk to.
The Field of Dreams game between the White Sox and Yankees? It’s getting four stars, no matter who you talk to as players arrived in the middle of farm country and tall corn for the much anticipated game played adjacent to where the iconic film was shot in 1989.
White Sox and Yankees players, managers and broadcasters raved about the setting, the facility, the experience and the opportunity to be a part of it.
And the game hadn’t even begun.
Players snapped photos, walked around the field and into the corn surrounding the 8,000 seat park specially made for this event. The Sox, dressed in circa 1919 white home uniforms, passed the Yankees, dressed in visiting grays from the same era, going to and from the field where the Field of Dreams movie was shot in 1989. The house owned by Kevin Costner’s character, xx, can be seen beyond right field and behind the corn, from elevated areas. Beyond the left field fence, the tall corn sloped downward toward an immaculate playing surface.
“The field is beautiful,” said Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito, who was scheduled to throw a bullpen in preparation for his start Sunday against the Yankees at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“I wouldn’t say I was skeptical, but I wasn’t expecting it to be put together so well. Impressive attention to detail.”
Players walked through the house and around the yard of the movie set, taking pictures.
“I sat in the porch swing, and on the grandstand with the house in the background,” Sox closer Liam Hendriks said. “It’s the little things you don’t want to miss. It’s the experience. I’m a fan running around right now.”
First look. Yankees v White Sox here tonight. pic.twitter.com/e1fc9sIWWR
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) August 12, 2021
“It’s even cooler than imagined,” Sox radio voice Len Kasper said. “It’s a total big league experience with all the right touches of nostalgia.”
Even Sox general manager Rick Hahn walked the grounds, taking pictures and showing his son the setting on a FaceTime call.
Many of the players are too young to know or care about the movie. Shortstop and Alabama native Tim Anderson, who set foot in the state of Iowa for the first time, said he still hasn’t seen the film, although his wife, Bria, watched it Wednesday night.
“Definitely a cool experience,” Anderson said. “Coming from where we’re coming from, to do something like this for the first time, it’s going to be fun. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s all positive.”
After playing an afternoon game in Minneapolis on Wednesday, the Sox stayed there overnight and flew to Dubuque, Iowa, late Thursday morning, then took buses directly to the field. They will return to Chicago after the game, have a day off Friday and finish the series against the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Yankees flew in Thursday from Kansas City. As both teams bused in from the airport, locals from town waved banners and signs, taking pictures with their phones
“There’s something cool about the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees taking a bus into a place that’s not heavily populated,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s something majestic about that.”
They arrive at “one of the most beautiful settings we will ever see a game played at,” said Kasper’s partner, Darrin Jackson.
“It’s awesome to be part of history.”
White Sox manager Tony La Russa could not participate, attending the funeral of his brother-in-law in Tampa, Fla. Bench coach Miguel Cairo will manage the team in his absence.
“I got a text message from him, it said, ‘Trust your gut,’ ’’ Cairo said.
Cy Young contender Lance Lynn ( 10-3, 2.04 ERA) will start for the Sox against lefty Andrew Heaney (7-8, 5.45). First pitch is 6:10 p.m. on FOX.
“You walk in and soak in the moments. Right now I’m just enjoying it but once the game starts, everything will start to feel natural,” Hendriks said.
Here is the Sox lineup:
1. Tim Anderson SS
2. Cesar Hernandez 2B
3. Jose Abreu 1B
4. Eloy Jimenez LF
5. Yoan Moncada 3B
6. Andrew Vaughn DH
7. Luis Robert CF
8. Adam Engel RF
9. Seby Zavala C
