Field of Dreams FAQ: All you need to know

They built it, and they’re coming. One of the most highly anticipated games in Major League Baseball history is set for Thursday, Aug. 12, when the MLB at Field of Dreams Game presented by GEICO will be held at the famous movie site in Dyersville, Iowa.

After getting pushed back a year by the coronavirus pandemic, this game between the White Sox and Yankees is ready to emerge like ghosts coming out of the corn field, and interest is not all that dissimilar to the interest in Ray Kinsella’s farm-turned-field.

So here is a handy FAQ to answer any questions you might have about MLB at Field of Dreams. If you ask it, we will answer.

When and where is the game?
The game is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Aug. 12, and it will air live on FOX, with pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET and first pitch set for 7 p.m.

The game will take place at a newly constructed, 8,000-seat ballpark near the “Field of Dreams” movie site in Dyersville.

Who is playing in MLB at Field of Dreams?
The matchup from the original plans for the 2020 game is back on, as the White Sox and Yankees will face one another in the rescheduled event in 2021.

The Sox are the “home” team, surrendering a home date at Guaranteed Rate Field for this unique event. They were an obvious choice to be included because of their role in the 1989 “Field of Dreams” movie, in which the ghosts of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and other members of the 1919 Black Sox play on the diamond in the Iowa cornfield.

Will this count as a regular-season game?
Yes.

Will fans be able to attend?
Yes. People will come. People will most definitely come.

How can fans get tickets?

A public registration was available exclusively to residents of Iowa from Friday, July 16, through Friday, July 23. Registration for the lottery was limited to fans who have Iowa zip codes. On Monday, Aug. 2, winners of the lottery were notified and had the opportunity to purchase up to two tickets and one parking pass for the special game.

Will the game be played on the same field that was used in the movie?
No. Not only is that field not up to typical Major League dimensions, but too many balls would get lost in the cornfield.

Where will the ballpark be located?
In the field beyond the northern perimeter of the movie field. In a nice homage to the game in the film, a pathway through the cornfield leads to the ballpark.

The right-field wall features windows to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark.

How large will the ballpark be?
It is large enough to hold 8,000 fans.

What will the field look like?
The design of the park pays homage to Chicago’s Comiskey Park, which was home of the White Sox (and, for a time, “Shoeless” Joe) from 1910-90.

Will the ballpark be used again?
The field will stay intact. Go The Distance Baseball, the company that operates the movie site, will consider other potential uses for it.

Will this be the smallest facility to ever house an MLB regular-season game?
No, BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., where the Little League Classic has been held, is the smallest. It has a capacity of 2,366.

Has MLB ever had a regular-season game in Iowa?
No, this will be the first. But the White Sox and Cubs did stage an exhibition in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1942, for the opening of Dodger Stadium (no, not that one). Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Cap Anson, Dave Bancroft, Fred Clarke, Red Faber and Dazzy Vance all hail from Iowa. Feller’s father, William, predated the movie idea by building his son a ballfield on the family farm in Van Meter.