On Thursday night, MLB and their fans finally were rewarded for their two years of waiting, with a Major League game taking place between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox in Dyersville, Iowa. Eight homers were demolished into the corn, for some big “Cornshots'', with the last laugh going to Chicago as Tim Anderson’s walk-off two-run Corn-job propelled his squad to an exhilarating 9-8 victory after the Yankees scored four with two out in the top of the ninth to take the lead. The ending made it one of the most “Dream” finishes you will ever see. But enough with the “Corny” jokes, let’s get into why this game this fortnight had so much meaning.
The festivities prior to the ultimate contest were centered around the iconic “Field of Dreams” movie released in 1989, about a farmer named Ray Costilla(Played by Kevin Costner) looking to bring back the spirit of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and built a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield. There are some takeaway lines, such as “Is this heaven” when referring to the beautiful baseball diamond, or the voice in the movie that says “If you build it, He will come, or “Go the distance”. The movie was nominated for best picture that year and has been loved by baseball fans ever since. So it was only fitting that it would be the White Sox(Jackson’s team), against the most iconic team in baseball, the New York Yankees. What MLB gave us pregame, and then the way the spectacle turned out, was as Kevin said, “Perfect.” The actual field where they shot the movie was too small to play an MLB game, so right next to it on the hill, MLB built their own field “Appropriate” for play. The dimensions surrounding the corn in the fair territory were 380FT to left and right, with dead Center Field at 400FT, just like Comiskey Park, the field the White Sox called home until 1990. Meanwhile, in foul territory, 8,000 fans packed the bleachers in attendance, with an “Old School'' manual scoreboard in right, and a digital one in left field citing the lineups. As for the lighting, permanent lights were installed atop the light towers, making for an even greater site, even as the sunset and the night sky were upon us. Pregame introductions brought nostalgia back to all of the baseball world, as Kevin Costner first walked out onto the field, with music from the movie being played over the PA system. Then a couple of minutes later, all of the Yankees and White Sox players emerged from the Corn, recreating the scene that took place in the movie, when “Shoeless” Joe Jackson( Ray Liotta) led the players onto the field. It was truly a perfect scene, to bring back what many say was a “Perfect” movie. After the rosters and lineups were announced it was finally time to “Play Ball”, and for the players to live out their passion on the “Field of Dreams” for the first time ever.
AL CY-young candidate Lance Lynn took the hill for the White Sox, sporting their white throwback jerseys from the movie, along with old-school short brimmed caps completing the look. Opposite of him, was Yankees starter Andrew Heaney, who entered this game having given up five home runs, and eight runs in his first two starts(10 innings combined) with his new team, after being dealt by the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline.
DJ LeMahieu led off the contest with a base hit, as he can now say he possesses the first MLB hits in Iowa and London, accomplishing that feat in 2019 when the Yankees battled the Red Sox. Three batters later, Joey Gallo lifted a high fly ball, challenging dead center field, but it settled into the glove of Luis Robert ending the inning. In the bottom of the first, Jose Abreu knocked an 0-2 fastball into the corn for the first MLB HR ever hit in Iowa. In the top of the third, Aaron Judge belted a moonshot into right field “Corner”, gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead, but only for a Tim Andreson RBI double, and an Eloy Jiminez three-run job into the Cornfield, gave Chicago the lead right back at 5-3 in the fourth. Depleted by injury and constantly having to dip into the bullpen as of late, Yankees manager Aaron Boone stuck with his starter, who then served up another bomb, this time to the #9 hitter in Seby Zavala, extending the White Sox advantage to 7-3 after four innings of play. It was the eighth homer given up by Heaney in just his third start, with the Yankees tying Joe Wolf for the most bombs given up in his first three starts with the Yankees.
The game seemed to be getting away from the Yankees, that is until a Brett Gardner solo shot in the sixth got a run back, making it a 7-4 ballgame. Two batters later, Lance Lynn was finished, as the White Sox turned to one of the best bullpens in baseball for the final 12 outs of the contest. Micheal Kopech(2.53 ERA) entered, and completely blew away the Bombers with 100MPH heat, stranding the baserunners and preserving the Chisox advantage. But In the seventh, a Tyler Wade single+ a stolen base, and a strike three pitch called a “Ball” by the home plate umpire and Iowan resident, Pat Hoberg, had Kopech rattled. A one-out walk to DJ LeMahieu ended his night, and Aaron Brummer(4.08 ERA) entered with New York threatening once again. But it was Brummer who would succeed, showing off one of the White Sox strengths, by inducing Gardner to ground out, and then rebounding from a walk to Aaron Judge to escape the jam by winning the battle against Joey Gallo, keeping it 7-4 Chicago. After a scoreless eighth inning by Craig Kimbrel, White Sox closer entered the cornfield in the top of the 9th, as Chicago was three outs away from a historic win on the “Field of Dreams '. The pro-White Sox crowd collectively raised their volume levels, and it suddenly sounded as if there were more than 8,000 fans in attendance. This was still the case three batters later, when the Yankees were down to their final out, with one of the best relief pitchers in the game about to close up shop. This was it, and on the field of dreams, the White Sox, and their fans were on the verge of the victory of their Dreams``.
However, Aaron Judge had other ideas “Going the distance”, with a two-run-blast deep into the Corn, bringing his team within one at 7-6. A Joey Gallo walk later, set the stage for an 0 for 4 Giancarlo Stanton with the game on the line, prompting a mound visit. Staring in, Hendricks delivered, and Stanton responded by electrifying the Iowa night sky, with a towering fly-ball to left field just beyond the reach of left fielder Laurey Garcia and over the fence for a dramatic go-ahead two-run shot, and after all that had transpired, it was suddenly 8-7 Yankees. As you can imagine, this sent the Bombers dugout and their fans into delirium, including avid Yankee fan Jimmy O Brian, who tweeted(@Jomboy) “Yankees have pitched Heaney, (Wandy)Peralta and Joely (Rodríguez) three guys who may not be on the postseason roster.
White Sox have thrown Lynn, Kopech, Bummer, Kimbrel, and Hendricks. AKA their winning formula.
For the yanks to be ahead and to have a chance to win is crazy!”
It almost seemed too good to be true, but it’s exactly what makes this field, and the movie “Magical” in the eyes of many.
Zack Britton came on for the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth, and after he retired the first batter, it seemed like smooth sailing from there. However, a walk to the #9 hitter Seby Zavala put the tying run aboard and pitted a frustrated Zack against a guy you don’t want to mess with in Chisox “Captain” (He’s the leader of the locker room) Tim Andreson(300 BA, 13 HR, 47 RBI). If you backtrack to the movie once more, what Andreson did got me thinking of a wholesome part in the film. When “Shoeless Joe,” said “Pitch it low and away” while playing on the baseball field, he clobbered it for a home. Ironically, the same thing happened in Brittons offering to Timmy, as he demolished the pitch into the night, igniting fireworks-galore as he touched first base celebrating his walk-off two-run blast that lifted the White Sox to a “Magical” 9-8 victory over the Yankees in a game we only saw “In our Dreams” until now. The victory also made the 3-hour drive to the ballfield by many Chicago natives worth it, as the fans flocked through the corn, and into their cars in happy spirits.
This was also the 15th walk-off HR by the White Sox vs the Yankees.
The first one was.......Shoeless Joe Jackson, and seeing this stat truly brings this night into a full circle.
While it was a tough pill to swallow for Yankees fans, even yours truly have to admit this was a perfect ending to a perfect night for the game of baseball.
HERE TO STAY:
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the “Field Of Dreams” game will return in 2022, with the teams still TBD.
PLAYOFF CHASE UPDATE:
The victory extends the White Sox(68-48) lead to 11.5 games over the Detroit Tigers(57-60) in the AL Central. Their largest lead of the year.
As for the Yankees(63-52), here’s where they sit with 47 games remaining.
They’re seven back of the Tampa Bay Rays, 5.5 behind the AL-West leading Houston Astros (6 losses back), four back of the Oakland A’s for the first Wildcard, two behind the Boston Red Sox (One loss back) for the second Wildcard, and are 0.5 ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays (Same amount or losses) who are right behind the Yankees in the Wildcard race.
If you look at the schedule, you will see the Yanks have seven games remaining vs the Jays, six vs the Red Sox, and 3 vs. Rays & A’s.
STAT SO?:
•The Yankees have blown a lead 17 times in the eighth inning or later this year, the most in baseball. It was also their sixth blown save in the ninth inning or later this season. Even if the Yankees won three of those games, they would not only be in a Wildcard spot but just four games back in the division. On the bright side, still, lots of the season left to make up ground.
UP NEXT:
The teams will have an off-day Friday, before going back to Chicago, and finishing
up the series at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday& Sunday.
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