Watch the Incredible Opening to the First Game at the Field of Dreams
It took 32 years, but they did come. On August 12, 2021, Major League Baseball played the very first official game at the Field of Dreams. Originally built in a cornfield in Dyersville, Iowa for the filming of 1989’s Field of Dreams, that beautiful little baseball diamond became a tourist attraction, a beloved symbol of baseball’s timeless power and finally, the site of a regular season game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox.
The game was originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, then delayed a year due to Covid. When it finally went off, it was worth the wait. Instead of the usual team introductions, the game began with a unique sequence like something out of a movie. Field of Dreams’ star Kevin Costner was on hand to narrate a video about the game and the field and what it means to people, then appeared in person to step out of the cornfield and onto the Field of Dreams just the way the White Sox did in the movie. After he walked to the diamond, he turned back to the outfield, where all the players from both teams emerged, almost like magic, out of the corn.
It was a pretty surreal and beautiful scene. Then, after all the players assembled on the diamond, Costner gave a moving speech to the crowd. The whole thing is pretty remarkable, honestly; way more impressive and beautiful than it had any right to be. You can watch the entire opening to the game below:
If that scene makes you understandably weepy and puts you in the mood to rewatch Field of Dreams, it is currently streaming on Peacock.