The Field of Dreams game set at a ballpark under construction in Dyersville (IA) is still tentatively on, with the St. Louis Cardinals replacing the New York Yankees as the team facing the Chicago White Sox.
Despite the MLB season being shut down in March, work continued on the ballpark construction at the Field of Dreams movie site outside Dyersville. For MLB, this is a great promotion, and there are plenty of folks in MLB circles who want to see it happen.
If it does, it looks like the St. Louis Cardinals are replacing the New York Yankees as the opponent facing the Chicago White Sox, according to several media outlets. The current MLB schedule structure calls for cross-league divisional play: AL Central teams will face other AL Central and NL Central teams, for example. That would eliminate the Yankees from participating; hence the Cardinals. The MLB schedule is set to be released next week; we’ll see if this game is present,.
The complicated factor: COVID-19 measures and state and local officials signing off on a plan. Reported coronavirus cases in Iowa have remained steady in recent weeks, but there’s been no flattening of the curve so far this summer. It’s impossible to know right now if fans will be allowed in or in what circumstances more than a month out.
“To date, there has been no change in the status of the event, and we hope to have the option to play,” MLB wrote in a statement. “Construction is continuing and we are following all CDC and state protocols regarding the recommended safety practices, including social distancing, washing hands, and temperature checks before arriving to the site. Safeguarding public health is our top priority. We are monitoring ongoing events and plan to remain as flexible as these circumstances demand.”
Field of Dreams, the big-screen adaptation of the W.P. Kinsella novel Shoeless Joe, was released to acclaim in 1989 with a cast that included stars Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, and Amy Madigan. It has remained popular with baseball and movie fans alike, and a field has been left intact at the production site, allowing it to become a sought-out tourist destination.
Rendering courtesy MLB.
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