Details for Field of Dreams Game (Tonight, FOX)

It was built, and they will come … again.

The second edition of the MLB Field of Dreams Game presented by GEICO will feature National League Central rivals, the Cubs and Reds, meeting amid the cornfield of Dyersville, Iowa, adjacent to where the iconic movie that starred Kevin Costner was filmed.

There will be a multitude of pregame and in-game activities that celebrate baseball, its meaning across generations and the movie in a bucolic setting that should inspire nostalgia.

As we await the moment when players from both clubs emerge from the cornfield to the playing field, here are some things you should know about the game.

When is the game and how can I watch it?
The 2022 Field of Dreams Game will take place on Thursday in Dyersville. The pregame starts at 6 p.m. ET, and first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FOX, with Joe Davis handling play-by-play duties and John Smoltz serving as the analyst.

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

Will the game be played on the same field that was used in the movie?
No. A ballpark with typical Major League dimensions (335 feet down the lines; 380 feet to the alleys; and 400 feet to dead center) was constructed on the northern perimeter of the movie field. There is a pathway through the cornfield that leads to the ballpark, and a right-field wall with windows that show the cornfield.

Will the teams wear special uniforms?
Yes. Cincinnati will have uniforms inspired from 1919, the year it won its controversial World Series over the White Sox. They are white with navy pinstripes and the club’s classic logo embroidered on the left chest. The Reds’ cap is also white with navy pinstripes all around and a vintage red “C” in front. The Cubs will have solid cream-colored jerseys similar to those worn during their 1929 NL pennant-winning season. It features the team’s old-school logo depicting a bear cub holding a bat inside a large red and navy “C,” plus navy blue caps adorned by a white bear cub.

Who is the home team?
The Reds will be the home team and bat last. After an off-day Friday for both teams, the series will resume on Saturday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

What is the ballpark capacity?
It holds approximately 8,000 fans.

What happened in the inaugural Field of Dream Game?
The White Sox defeated the Yankees in a thrilling 9-8 game last August. After the Yankees took the lead with a four-run ninth, in which sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge each launched a homer, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson blasted a walk-off, two-run homer into the cornfield.

What might the starting lineups look like?

Reds:
Jonathan India, 2B
Nick Senzel, CF
Kyle Farmer, 3B
Joey Votto, 1B
Donovan Solano, DH
Aristides Aquino, RF
Albert Almora Jr., LF
Jose Barrero, SS
Michael Papierski, C

Cubs:
Nick Madrigal, 2B
Willson Contreras, C
Ian Happ, LF
Seiya Suzuki, RF
Franmil Reyes, DH
Nico Hoerner, SS
Patrick Wisdom, 1B
Nelson Velázquez, CF
Christopher Morel, 3B

Who are the starting pitchers?
Reds: The Reds are slated to start left-handed rookie Nick Lodolo. A top prospect, Lodolo is 3-3 with a 4.40 ERA in nine starts this season. The 24-year-old was Cincinnati’s first-round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Cubs: The North Siders will send veteran left-hander Drew Smyly to the mound. The 33-year-old has a 3.97 ERA in 14 starts this season. That includes a 4.50 ERA in six road games, but this is no ordinary road contest.

Any injuries of note?
Reds: The club has endured a run of injuries this season. Two of the most notable are catcher Tyler Stephenson, who is expected to miss the rest of the year after he fractured his right collarbone on July 22, and rookie starting pitcher Hunter Greene, who went on the IL last week with a right shoulder strain.

Cubs: Starter Kyle Hendricks (right shoulder) and outfielder Jason Heyward (right knee) -- two members of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series squad -- are sidelined. Hendricks has a slim chance at returning before the end of this season, while Heyward’s campaign is done. Lefty Wade Miley (left shoulder) and righty Alec Mills (lower back strain) are among the other injured players for Chicago.

Who’s hot and who’s not?
Reds: Since the All-Star break (entering Wednesday), Votto has five home runs and 10 RBIs, India is batting .288 with three homers and Solano is hitting .327. Rookie reliever Alexis Díaz has a 0.77 ERA in his past 13 appearances.

Hunter Strickland, who has been used lately as the closer, has two blown saves and a 9.00 ERA in the second half. Farmer is 11-for-53 (.208) since the break.

Cubs: Velázquez has been earning more playing time and was hitting .310/.429/.724 through his first 14 games in the second half. Contreras has looked more relaxed and refreshed since the Trade Deadline drama, and he was hitting at a .250/.357/.500 clip over 16 games in the second half. In the bullpen, Rowan Wick is in line to get the bulk of the save chances now, following a wave of trade subtractions. Wick has a 1.84 ERA over his past 13 games.

Suzuki’s rookie season has been filled with ups and downs as he learns his way around the Majors. In the second half, he's batting just .197 in 16 games.

Logos in the corn
The Cubs and Reds retro logos have been cut into the corn located beyond the right-field fence near the Field of Dreams movie site to provide unique aerial views for FOX’s event coverage.

Building the ballpark
It required the moving of 30,000 cubic yards of material, and the installation of 4,000 tons of sand and 2,000 tons of pea gravel under 95,000 square feet of a Bluegrass blend that includes legend, blue note and bolt cultivars.

A game in a cornfield
• Iowa-based Musco Lighting is providing a first-of-its-kind LED system that will also spotlight much of the 159 acres of corn that surround the ballpark.
• The stalks that produce field corn will grow 10-12 feet high.
• A manual scoreboard will be in the corn just behind the right-field fence.

Anything else fans might want to know?
Votto and Happ will both do in-game interviews while playing on the field with the broadcast crew.

Postgame will feature a concert by country music star Walker Hayes, along with a fireworks show.