The story behind MLB at Field of Dreams
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, adapted from W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel Shoeless Joe, 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.
Since 1989, the Lansing Family Farm, which was used in the 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 began working with MLB in 2015, which has now culminated in this special game.
MLB at Field of Dreams presented by GEICO was part of the GEICO Summer Series. MLB constructed an 8,000-seat ballpark on the Dyersville site. A pathway through a cornfield took fans to the ballpark, which overlooks the famous movie location. The right field wall included windows to show the cornfields beyond the ballpark. Aspects of the ballpark's design paid homage to Chicago's Comiskey Park, home of the White Sox from 1910-1990, including the shape of the outfield and bullpens beyond the center field fence.
