The Chicago White Sox hosted the New York Yankees on Thursday night in the pastoral setting of Dyersville, Iowa, where the classic 1989 baseball movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed. The ballpark, located near the site of the field used in the film, holds 8,000 fans. That is twice the population of the eastern Iowa city.
It was officially the first major league baseball game played in Iowa, and it had a Hollywood finish.
The White Sox, who allowed four runs in the top of the ninth inning to fall behind, rallied to win 9-8 in the bottom half of the inning on Tim Anderson’s two-run homer.
The Yankees, sparked by a pair of two-out, two-run homers in the top of the ninth by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, had gone ahead 8-7. Judge added a three-run homer earlier in the game to cap a five-RBI night, and Brett Gardner hit a solo shot for New York.
The White Sox, who are leading the American League Central Division, still had some magic on the diamond carved out of a cornfield as Anderson crashed his home run.
Chicago was the home team for the game and used home runs by Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez and Seby Savala to hold off the Yankees until the ninth inning.
If one looked closely enough, the ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson might have been hovering in the cornstalks of the eastern Iowa baseball field. However, Archibald “Moonlight” Graham was nowhere in sight.
Kevin Costner, who played the lead role of Ray Kinsella in the movie, attended Thursday night’s game. “Field of Dreams” starred Costner, James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta, along with a cameo appearance by Burt Lancaster. The film was adapted from W.P. Kinsella’s 1982 novel, “Shoeless Joe.”
“Thirty years ago ... 30 ... on the other side of that corn, we filmed a movie that stood the test of time,” Costner said in pregame ceremonies. “Tonight, thanks to that impact that that little movie had, it’s allowed us to come here again. But now, we’re on a field that Major League Baseball made.”
Kevin Costner joins Joe @Buck and John Smoltz to talk about an experience he had with his kids watching one of his films and looks back on the cast that helped make "Field of Dreams" the classic that it is. pic.twitter.com/5RQKIDVykz
The movie told the story of Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who hears a voice telling him that if he builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield, “he will come.”
Despite objections from his family and local residents, Kinsella builds the baseball diamond out of a cornfield and is visited by the ghosts of the infamous 1919 “Black Sox,” the American League champions who were accused of throwing the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.
Eight members of the Black Sox, including Jackson, were banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, even though they were acquitted by a trial jury, according to the Society for American Baseball Research.
Liotta played Jackson in the movie, and Dwier Brown played Costner’s father, John Kinsella. Costner and Brown have a memorable game of catch at the end of the movie, which was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Thursday night, the White Sox wore their retro uniforms from their Black Sox days. The only difference from 1919 is that players had numbers on their backs in the 2021 uniform versions.
For nearly a century, Iowa had a claim for hosting a major league game. That changed after the 1968 season.
The Keokuk Westerns of the National Association played 13 games in 1875, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The National Association was the professional league that existed from 1871 to 1875 and was replaced by the National League in 1876.
According to baseball historian John Thorn, the Special Baseball Records Committee met in 1968 and determined that the National Association would no longer be considered a major league.
The committee decided that because of its erratic schedule and procedures, the National Association was no longer considered “major league” but continued to be recognized as the first professional baseball league, Thorn wrote.
On Thursday, Costner called the new stadium “perfect,” CBS News reported.
“The dream’s still alive,” Costner said. “There’s probably just one question to answer: Is this heaven?
“Yes, it is.”
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Field of Dreams CHICAGO - AUGUST 03: Liam Hendriks #31 of the Chicago White Sox poses for a portrait wearing a special throwback vintage uniform in preparation for Major League Baseball"u2019s Field of Dream game on August 3, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago White Sox will play the New York Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa on August 12, 2021 in the first Major League game to ever be played in the state of Iowa in a stadium built next to the site where the Field of Dreams movie was filmed. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) (Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Field of Dreams FILE - This March 6, 2012, file photo shows the entrance to the "Field of Dreams" movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. Three decades after Kevin Costner's character built a ballpark in a cornfield in the movie "Field of Dreams," the iconic site in Dyersville, Iowa, prepares to host the state's first Major League Baseball game at a built-for-the-moment stadium for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Ryan J. Foley, File) (Ryan J. Foley/AP)
Field of Dreams CHICAGO - AUGUST 03: Andrew Vaughn #25 (L) and Gavin Sheets #32 of the Chicago White Sox pose for a portrait wearing a special throwback vintage uniform in preparation for Major League Baseball"u2019s Field of Dream game on August 3, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago White Sox will play the New York Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa on August 12, 2021 in the first Major League game to ever be played in the state of Iowa in a stadium built next to the site where the Field of Dreams movie was filmed. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) (Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Field of Dreams Aramark and Walk-Off Refreshments will provide MLB at Field of Dreams fans with the option of ordering beer using QR-codes and mobile ordering from the MLB Ballpark App. (Photo: Business Wire) (Business Wire/AP)
Field of Dreams FILE - In this June 5, 2020, file photo, an Iowa flag waves in the wind over the field at the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. Three decades after Kevin Costner's character built a ballpark in a cornfield in the movie "Field of Dreams," the iconic site in Dyersville, Iowa, prepares to host the state's first Major League Baseball game at a built-for-the-moment stadium for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
Field of Dreams CHICAGO - AUGUST 03: Eloy Jimenez #74 of the Chicago White Sox poses for a portrait wearing a special throwback vintage uniform in preparation for Major League Baseball"u2019s Field of Dream game on August 3, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago White Sox will play the New York Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa on August 12, 2021 in the first Major League game to ever be played in the state of Iowa in a stadium built next to the site where the Field of Dreams movie was filmed. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) (Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Field of Dreams FILE - Light stands from a baseball field being built near the Field of Dreams movie site, rear, are seen in Dyersville, Iowa, in this Friday, June 5, 2020, file photo. Three decades after Kevin Costner's character built a ballpark in a cornfield in the movie "Field of Dreams," the iconic site in Dyersville, Iowa, prepares to host the state's first Major League Baseball game at a built-for-the-moment stadium for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
Field of Dreams CHICAGO - AUGUST 03: Andrew Vaughn #25 of the Chicago White Sox poses for a portrait wearing a special throwback vintage uniform in preparation for Major League Baseball"u2019s Field of Dream game on August 3, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago White Sox will play the New York Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa on August 12, 2021 in the first Major League game to ever be played in the state of Iowa in a stadium built next to the site where the Field of Dreams movie was filmed. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) (Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Field of Dreams CHICAGO - AUGUST 03: Liam Hendriks #31 of the Chicago White Sox poses for a portrait wearing a special throwback vintage uniform in preparation for Major League Baseball"u2019s Field of Dream game on August 3, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago White Sox will play the New York Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa on August 12, 2021 in the first Major League game to ever be played in the state of Iowa in a stadium built next to the site where the Field of Dreams movie was filmed. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) (Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
Field of Dreams FILE - Persons portraying ghost player characters, similar to those in the film "Field of Dreams," emerge from the cornfield at the "Field of Dreams" movie site in Dyersville, Iowa, in this undated file photo. Three decades after Kevin Costner's character built a ballpark in a cornfield in the movie "Field of Dreams," the iconic site in Dyersville, Iowa, prepares to host the state's first Major League Baseball game at a built-for-the-moment stadium for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/AP)
Field of Dreams An ancient scoreboard is shown in the outfield during a baseball game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox in Dyersville, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )
Field of Dreams White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn warms up against a backdrop of a cornfield Thursday in Dyersville, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)
Field of Dreams Actor Kevin Costner, who starred in the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams," was in attendance for Thursday night's game in Dyersville, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )
Field of Dreams Chicago White Sox players Michael Kopech (34), Aaron Bummer (39), Andrew Vaughn (25) and Zack Collins (21) walk on the field in Dyersville, Iowa. The White Sox were wearing their uniforms from the 1919-1920 period, although those original uniforms did not sport numbers. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )
Field of Dreams Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton walks onto the field in Dyersville, Iowa, with ears of corn in his back pocket. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )
Field of Dreams Jose Abreu (79) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a home run during the first inning of Thursday night's game in Dyersville, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )
Field of Dreams Aaron Judge, right, celebrates with Brett Gardner after the Yankees' star hit a three-run homer in Dyersville, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )
Field of Dreams Brett Gardner, left, and Aaron Judge chase a double hit by Chicago's Luis Robert during Thursday night's game. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)
Field of Dreams The lights were on in Dyersville as the White Sox hosted the Yankees at the "Field of Dreams" site. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )
Field of Dreams The Yankees' Aaron Judge drove in five runs with two home runs in a losing effort. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)
Field of Dreams Tim Anderson is mobbed after his game-winning, two-run homer in Dyersville, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press )