August 12, 2021: in the world there is COVID, which prevents most of the usual activities, except perhaps MLB baseball, which from June 2 has the stadiums again at 100% capacity, without distancing and without mandatory masks.
The MLB, after the very short season of 2020, this year foresees a regular season, with 162 fights, and the Yankees, despite some difficulties, are in full battle for the wild cards. The White Sox, on the other hand, after years of anonymity, are on the run in their Division, therefore destined for the playoffs.
These two teams, however, yesterday, 32 years after the release of the film Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Kostner, a fantastic story in which players from the past returned from the other side to play on a field in the middle of the remote Iowa countryside, they played a regular season game on that field.
A match that counts for the ranking therefore, not a friendly match with old glories, as would have been done in another sport. The White Sox even lined up the best pitcher of the year for ERA, Lance Lynn, fresh from a two-year renewal.
The film (already reviewed on this site) had a huge impact on the public, so much so that it led to this event, made possible by an MLB commitment, and by the works started in 2019, exactly 30 years after the film, for the construction of a partial stadium, which was to see the match played last year, then postponed due to the pandemic.
And Kevin, of course, was also invited to make the opening video for Fox, which broadcast the event live, and which is viewable on mlb.tv for all subscribers (now this season’s subscription costs just 40 dollars).
To get to the field, all the spectators had to walk through the corn, more than two meters high, only to suddenly find themselves in front of a real baseball field, the dream of every local child. Yes, because in Iowa never before had an MLB game been played, no franchise had ever played in that state. And for this reason, 800 seats were reserved for those who were residing in Iowa. And Iowa natives were also the girl who sang the national anthem and the home plate referee.
And seeing Kostner, and then all the players, emerge from that same cornfield, was a unique emotion, almost a replica of the film.
Obviously the two teams chose old style shirts, to increase the scenic effect, and Kostner was also visibly excited, he was a great fan of this sport, and the protagonist of many other films on the subject.
He also had the opening speech, which ended with the sentence: “Is this heaven? Yes it is “. (Unlike what he said in the film, when asked by a player who asked him “Is this heaven?”, When he answered prosaically: “no, this is Iowa”).
Then it was the turn of the players, and the Fox commentators, silent for the first 10 minutes. Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson was also miked, which was not unusual in MLB, and cheered on his teammates throughout the match, while José Abreu, beat the first HR in Iowa in the first inning.
Aaron Judge, with a 3-point HR, overturned the score in the third inning, but the White Sox regained the lead in the same inning, with another 3-point HR from Eloy Jimenez.
The bout remained 7-4 until the ninth inning, with Liam Hendriks on the mound for safety, when Judge and Stanton’s 2-point HRs overturned the score. But Tim Anderson himself, with a 2-point HR in the low of the ninth, gave the victory to the White Sox with an incredible 9-8 final, including two blown saves.
No Iowa viewer will ever forget this day, as it will remain alive in the eyes of viewers, especially those in love with the film that made it possible.
Baseball, once again, has shown tremendous closeness, empathy, a willingness to make people’s lives better. And he succeeded. Long live this wonderful sport.
