Ballpark ready for MLB at Field of Dreams presented by GEICO

Following nearly two years of planning – and more than six years since the concept was first discussed – the ballpark that will host the MLB At Field of Dreams Presented by GEICO game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees on Thursday, August 12th is in the final innings of its construction. The Dyersville ballpark, which will stage the first Major League game ever played in Iowa one week from today, is the result of local support in the state and the teamwork of three decorated sports event and experience specialist companies all appointed by Major League Baseball: BaAM Productions, Populous and BrightView.

Dimensions:

• 335 feet down the lines; 380 feet to the alleys; and 400 feet to dead center.

Nods to Old Comiskey Park:

• The bullpens, located behind the 12-foot high padded wall in center field, are designed to resemble old Comiskey Park.

Building the Ballpark Has Required:

• The moving of 30,000 cubic yards of material.
• The installation of 4,000 tons of sand and 2,000 tons of pea gravel under the Bluegrass blend (legend, blue note and bolt cultivars).

A Game in a Cornfield:

· A “corn maze” adorned with MLB’s iconic silhouetted batter logo is located beyond the right field fence, near the Field of Dreams Movie Site – part of an immersive fan experience.

· 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 right field fence has a unique design that accentuates the corn through a fine mesh seven-foot high green chain link fence with offset vertical support posts – meaning the posts will actually be in the corn.

· 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.

Special Uniforms:

· For this first-ever special event, these two historic franchises will don custom uniforms inspired by those worn by the Clubs in the early twentieth century.

· The uniforms of the White Sox feature navy blue pinstripes and a large, bold “SOX” monogram worn on the left chest. During the game, the Club will wear a matching white cap with navy blue pinstripes. During batting practice, the White Sox will wear a navy cap with the Sox monogram in white. Images of Eloy Jiménez, Craig Kimbrel, Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodón in the new uniforms are available in the digital press kit.

· The Yankees’ “NEW YORK” letterforms are noticeably thinner and wider than the contemporary jersey. The “New York” wordmark is also delivered in navy blue on gray with no white outlines, while the jerseys are devoid of any sleeve trim. The Yankees will wear a cap with a loose knit interlocking NY. Images of Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu, Gary Sánchez and Gleyber Torres wearing the uniforms are also available in the link.

Since 1989, the Lansing Family Farm, which was used in the Universal Pictures’ movie, has been a popular tourist attraction, now known as the Field of Dreams Movie Site. In 2011, the field was purchased by Denise Stillman and a group of investors with the goal of preserving the Field of Dreams and creating a special place for baseball fans, tournament players and families. Stillman, who passed away in 2018, began working with MLB in 2015 – now culminating in this special game.

Field of Dreams stars Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones and Amy Madigan. It was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Picture in 1990 and was selected to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2017.The 1989 film tells the story of Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, a husband and father who is tending to his cornfield when he hears a mysterious voice intone, “If you build it, he will come.” According to the American Film Institute (AFI), those words are the 39th top film quote of all-time. The White Sox and the Yankees are the two favorite Clubs of Ray’s father, John Kinsella, at different points of his life.

MLB at Field of Dreams presented by GEICO is proudly sponsored and supported by Chevrolet, Mastercard, T-Mobile, Mattress Firm, the National Corn Growers Association, John Deere, Musco Lighting, Budweiser and Doosan. MLB at Field of Dreams follows other recent special events that have taken groundbreaking Major League games to non-traditional domestic locales, including the Fort Bragg Game in 2016, MLB In Omaha Presented by GEICO at the NCAA’s Men’s College World Series in 2019 and the annual Little League Classic Presented by GEICO in Williamsport (2017-19). The events at Fort Bragg and in Omaha were the first Major League games ever in North Carolina and Nebraska, respectively.

MLB Network’s Intentional Talk program presented by GEICO with Kevin Millar and guest co-host Adnan Virk will air live from Field of Dreams on Wednesday, August 11th and Thursday, August 12th at 5:00 p.m. (ET). Leading up to next week, MLB Network will air the film Field of Dreams this Saturday, August 7th at 11:00 a.m. (ET) and Sunday, August 8th at 9:00 p.m. (ET). MLB Network’s Field of Dreams: Twenty-Five Years Later special from 2014 will air this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. (ET), including a one-on-one interview with Bob Costas and Kevin Costner filmed at the Field of Dreams Movie Site. MLB Network’s kids-focused program Play Ball presented by Nike will highlight the film and Thursday’s game this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. (ET), plus MLB Network insider Jon Morosi will report live from Field of Dreams across MLB Network’s studio programming on August 11th-12th. MLB Network’s MLB At Field of Dreams tease, which will air across MLB Network’s programming leading up to August 12th, can be seen here.

Field of Dreams is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.