The Field of Dreams turned into a nightmare for the Yankees.
It may have topped the award-winning 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner, who was there Thursday night to see a real MLB game played in the cornfields of Iowa.
The stadium near the actual diamond in Dyersville, where the movie was filmed, had been refurbished by Major League Baseball into a plush, version of big league ballpark, with green grass that sparkled before the sunset as the Yankees and White Sox played a game that actually counted in the standings.
And what a game it was, with Chicago taking a 7-4 lead into the ninth inning, only to have the Yankees score four times on home runs by Aaron Judge and the forever-slumping Giancarlo Stanton. By the time the third out was made, White Sox ace closer Liam Hendriks faced blowing a save for one of the rare times this season.
Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn warms up in the outfield before a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021 in Dyersville, Iowa. The Yankees and White Sox are playing at a temporary stadium in the middle of a cornfield at the Field of Dreams movie site, the first Major League Baseball game held in Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
But just like a movie script, emotional shortstop Tim Anderson came to the plate with a man on base and one out in the bottom of the ninth. On the first swing, he launched the ball over the right field fence and into the famous cornfields from Field of Dreams lore.
The former junior college star, Anderson couldn’t be a better lead of this made-for-TV event. He knew the ball was gone as soon as he hit it and danced around the bases to waiting teammates at home.
Both teams came to Iowa honored to play the game with the idea of hitting homers into the tall stalks of corn surrounding the outfield fence. And there were 8 dingers that landed in the cornfield, with Anderson’s opposite-field walk-off shot settling the score, 9-8.
Baseball has come back in this country behind great players that were showcased at the recent Home Run Derby and All-Star Game in Colorado. The marketing commercials throughout the season are masterfully made, celebrating the game and the plays and players of color who’ve made it a pastime that has been welcomed back by fans.
For the stunned Yankees, missing a chance to gain in a close AL East pennant race, it will be a night to remember and also one to forget.
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